Trier Cathedral was evacuated on Tuesday after staff noticed a strong, unpleasant smell inside the building, prompting a major emergency response in the city centre.
At around 10.45am, cathedral employees became concerned by the odour and called the emergency services. Firefighters who arrived at the scene shared their concerns, according to a statement from the City of Trier.
Both Trier Cathedral and the neighbouring Church of Our Lady were subsequently evacuated. According to the Trierischer Volksfreund, several areas inside the churches smelled strongly of what was described as a "cat-like" odour.
As the source could not be identified, additional specialists were called in, including a civil protection unit trained to respond to chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear hazards, according to the statement.
Measurements taken at the scene did not indicate any immediate danger, according to the Trierischer Volksfreund. Nevertheless, shortly before midday, it was reported that a specialist ventilation system was brought in to clear the smell from the cathedral.
An air sample was also sent to a laboratory in Ludwigshafen for further analysis.
The operation ended at around 12.45pm. Around 30 firefighters as well as Trier police were involved, according to the Trierischer Volksfreund.
Cathedral dean Georg Holkenbrink told the Trierischer Volksfreund that he suspected the foul-smelling substance may have been deliberately released inside the cathedral.
