A clock is a clock like a clock - what could be unusual? But in Europe there is an astronomical clock not only in size, but also in essence. Here is some information about the astronomical clock of Europe.
The term "astronomical clock" is used rather ambiguously. In principle, any clock that shows any astronomical information in addition to time can be called astronomical. They can show the position of the sun or moon (as well as its phases) in the sky, the current zodiac sign, or even star charts. We'll start with the most famous ones - Orloj in Prague.
To say that this clock is astronomical is to state the obvious. Another word that can describe them: "masterpiece". The first thing to know about them is that they were installed 80 years before the discovery of the Americas by Columbus, that is, in 1410. Immediately striking is the dial in the center, which shows the position of the sun and moon. Tourists in Orloi are also attracted by mechanical figures of the apostles, which move every hour. In addition, there are other moving figures and a dial with the months of the year.
There is a belief that if residents do not take care of the clock, a curse will fall on the city, and it becomes clear why after so many years the clock is still in perfect condition. Of course, they had to be restored several times. A fire from the shelling of the square in 1945 during the Nazi uprising severely damaged the clock. Years passed before the watch was completely repaired. For example, the figure "Death and the Turks" was almost completely destroyed.
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Lund, Sweden
But the clock is a little younger than the Prague one. They are in the cathedral in Lund, Sweden.
It is believed that work on the watch was completed in 1424. The full name of the watch is Horologium mirabile Lundense. They were dismantled in 1827, and their restoration took almost a hundred years. Every hour the clock plays on a small organ, and three wise men with servants pass by the figures of Jesus and Mary (pictured below). It is almost impossible to realize that such a complex mechanism was created in the fifteenth century.
The two knights at the top mark the hours, while the astronomical dials show the phases of the moon, where and when the sun sets, and more. The third dial from the top is the calendar. With the help of it, our ancestors calculated the dates of religious holidays, but today we can also do this, since the dial changes once every hundred years. This one will need to be replaced in 2123. As you can see, not all calendars end in 2012.
Strasbourg, France
In the Cathedral of Strasbourg there were as many as three astronomical clocks.
The first ones were installed in 1352 and worked for two hundred years, until they installed more advanced ones in 1547, which worked until 1788. In 1838, the last ones were installed - those that stand to this day, and are a monument to the ambitions and work of a lifetime from the creator. If clocks in ordinary houses had to be replaced only twice in six hundred years …
Jean Baptiste Schwilge began work on the clock in 1838. He was born in 1766 and from childhood dreamed of building a new clock for the cathedral. Fifty years later, he fulfilled his dream - that is how much it took to study mechanics, mathematics and clockwork. Before starting work, he and thirty of his assistants spent a year designing. And the time spent paid off: the watch was completed in less than five years and started working in 1842.
Olomouc, Czech Republic
We are back in the Czech Republic, this time in the city of Olomouc. In 1420, when this clock was built, the city was the capital of the state of Moravia. The clock was installed in the main square of the city, and was rebuilt approximately once every hundred years.
The Czech Republic suffered greatly at the end of World War II, when in 1945 German troops retreated under the pressure of the Soviets. The watches shot by the Germans, or rather their remains, are kept in the local museum. After the war, Czechoslovakia fell under the rule of the USSR, and when the clock was restored, it was done with great care. But, of course, the saints and kings known to everyone were replaced by athletes and workers.
From afar, the clock looks ancient, and only when you come close do you see the figures, traces of the regime that has lived half as long as every new clock installed by the good citizens of Olomuts.
Wells, UK
All the clocks that we talked about before were installed inside or outside buildings.
The people of Wells in the west of England in the fourteenth century decided to build a clock that would be both at once and there. The photo above is the inside of the clock. This dial shows a model of the universe. The sun moves in a circle against the background of the stars. The 24 hour dial has hours from one to twelve in the afternoon and one to twelve after midnight.
The same mechanism drives the clock outside the cathedral so that people do not have to enter the holy place just to find out what time it is.
Bern, Switzerland
Although Switzerland is famous for its cuckoo clock, Bern's most recognizable landmark is the Zytglogge tower. It was built in the thirteenth century, and the astronomical clock was installed in the fifteenth. The dial is shaped like an astrolabe, a navigational instrument that determines the position of the stars, the sun, the moon and planets. Also, if you measure the height above the horizon with an astrolabe, you can find out the local time, and vice versa.
The dial is exquisitely painted and, like the other watches we have talked about, has been restored several times. Switzerland was not involved in any of the European conflicts of the twentieth century, but time has its own laws, and it took a lot of effort to keep the clock in working order. To better understand what the parts of the dial represent, see the photo below.
Cremona, Italy
Finally, the largest astronomical clock. They are located in Cremona, Italy, in the second tallest brick tower in the world.
The tower itself was built at the beginning of the thirteenth century, but locals boast that construction began in the eighth. And, of course, it is not surprising that archaeologists have discovered an ancient Roman foundation under it.
The watch was created by father and son, Francesco and Giovanni Divizioli. The dial shows the passage of the Sun through the signs of the Zodiac.
