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This contribution deals with research topics related to diagnostics and restoration of historical masonry. For damage assessment, the focus is on masonry subjected to long term high stress levels and the resulting damage accumulation caused by creep effects. The Acoustic Emission technique is evaluated as a NDT to quantify the damage evolution. To have a better understanding of the brick-mortar interaction the collapse mechanism of masonry is studied by means of micro-focus X-ray imaging. The available test setup allows 3D tomographic imaging of the damage pattern during compressive tests on small scale samples. A comparative study of the collapse mechanism of the same brick with different mortar types is aimed at. Accurate geometrical information is crucial for safety assessment. The application of 3D-laserscanning data used within the assessment of masonry vaults is addressed. On site stress measurements within structural components remains difficult. The hole drilling technique provides a minor destructive technique that demonstrates its applicability.