To realise the inconceivable - to understand the unbelievable - to accept the definite - it is to suddenly gaze into the unknown finite of our existence, which, in this short moment of elementary fear, makes the irreparable loss, the death of the person, friend and colleague Ulrich Schießl, so intensively conscious.

There is no more argument, no more reconciliation and no more walking the path together for a while. The thoughtless conjunctives, the postponed wishes and the ignorant omissions describe now even more the painful lost of all the shared lifetime.

He has done a lot for our profession, more than many amongst us even know or could realise. He has protected the profession of conservator-restorer for more than thirty years in his own way. He has initiated national and international standards and defended them with his very personal strategies. By doing this he has made not only friends. He has devoted his private life to conservation-restoration and therefore he has asked for devotion from others, he has promoted the professional status and in doing so has pushed himself up to and over his limits.

 Now he has passed away and left his legacy that obliges us to continue. His loss leaves an unrestorable gap. One day, we will be asked whether we have fostered and protected this very personal inheritance. But now we must accept what none of us can understand. We must accept the loss of this sometimes conflicted as well as amiable person and colleague Ulrich Schießl. We must also realise the painful loss of a friend.