Kathmandu, Feb. 3 -- Gotz Hagmuller, the Austrian architect who made the preservation of Kathmandu Valley's cultural heritage his life's work died on Friday in Bhaktapur, the town he helped restore.

Hagmuller died peacefully in his sleep at Kuthu Math, the former pilgrim's guesthouse in Bhaktapur which he helped restore and where he lived for most of his life in Nepal. He was 85.

Hagmuller first came to Nepal in 1979 to help with the Bhaktapur Development Project, the German government initiative that over two decades helped restore the crumbling town and upgrade its facilities.

He never left. After Bhaktapur, Hagmuller went on to be involved in the restoration of Kaiser Mahal's Garden of Dreams, the Patan Museum and the restoration o...