Anchor clock
The Ankeruhr is a large music box at the Helvetia Insurance House (formerly the life and pension insurance company “Der Anker” ) at Hohen Markt 10–11 in the old town of Vienna . The anchor clock is considered one of the outstanding works of Art Nouveau and is a popular tourist attraction .
history
In 1911, the insurance company “Der Anker” developed the plan to have a large public clock built at their new company headquarters in the Ankerhof. The Art Nouveau painter Franz Matsch was hired for the artistic design, while the clockwork was designed by the Imperial and Royal Court and Chamber Clockmaker Franz Morawetz . In addition, numerous other companies and craftsmen were hired : The Schreiber and Kwaysser company developed the electric drive, the Rieger brothers built the organ, Vinzenz Goller took care of the selection of music, the W. A. Richters Söhne company built the mechanics of the figurines, Franz Siegel took care of the copper driving work , Heinrich Hauska did the coppersmith's work, the Wiener Mosaik-Werkstätte created the mosaic on the front, Andrea Francini was responsible for the stone and marble work, Viktor Englerth took care of the locksmith work, and the company Eduard Ast & Comp. built the bridge out of iron-reinforced concrete.
The insurance company moved into the building on June 29, 1914; the completion of the clock was scheduled for autumn 1914. The deadline could not be kept because the First World War had started and material and personnel shortages delayed construction. On December 2nd, 1914, the mechanical organ was put into operation for the first time, which attracted a crowd of thousands. The facility was completed in the summer of 1915, and on August 18, 1915, the first test run took place in front of a large crowd, in keeping with the emperor's birthday. The spectacle was repeated in honor of the emperor in 1916. The highlight of each run was figure no. XII, who played the Austrian imperial anthem . The corresponding figure is not - as was actually common at that time - Emperor Franz Joseph I , but the composer of the hymn, Joseph Haydn .
After the two test runs, the clock remained switched off for a while. It had been decided to define the system as a "peace clock" and to start it only after the end of the war. That peace would come one day was to be expected, but not one of its effects: the fall of the monarchy. Some of the figures were used to praise the House of Habsburg , and that was no longer popular in 1918. So after the end of the war - the exact date is unknown - the clock was simply turned on without any ceremony. In view of the political situation, however, the music program was previously changed: the imperial anthem was removed and replaced by a piece from Haydn's oratorio “The Creation”.
During the Second World War , the Ankerhof and the Ankeruhr were badly damaged by arson on April 11, 1945; the clock could not go back into operation until 1956. However, the organ could not be repaired, it was replaced by a sound system. The current version of the twelve pieces of music was recorded in 1978 on the basis of the original organ movements in a Vienna church.
The clock
The Ankeruhr is a bridge-like connection between the two parts of the Ankerhof building, it spans the Gässchen farmers market . This “clock bridge” has a span of ten meters and a height of 7.5 meters; the clock itself has a diameter of four meters. The bridge is supported by four figural consoles, on which Adam and Eve are depicted in front and angels and devils in the back. Above the clock there is a sun disk, flanked by a child with a butterfly as an allegory for life, and an hourglass as a symbol for death - a meaningful symbolism for an insurance company. When it is dark, the clock is illuminated by headlights.
The clock is designed as a linear clock in which a figure slides over a scale for one hour by means of a chain drive and is then replaced by the next figure. The respective hour is indicated as a Roman number above the figure, the minutes can be read on the scale. The figures are between 2.6 and 2.8 meters high and made of copper; Franz Matsch made their selection personally. A sonorous chime sounds every full hour. At 12 noon, all twelve figures (groups) pass by, accompanied by a piece of music that matches the figure, originally from a mechanical organ with 800 pipes, today as digital sound reproduction. The order in which the figures appear corresponds to the historical sequence.
The background of the clock consists of a 12 m² mosaic made of glass, metal and marble, in the middle of which is the double-headed eagle and the old coat of arms of the city of Vienna . These are surrounded by twelve other heraldic shields u. a. as symbols for science, art, love, music, theater, industry, trade and Viennese cuisine. Under the clock is a basilisk from the world of Viennese legends. On the back of the bridge there is a conventional clock with hands and the words "Der Anker".
The characters and their music
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All figures go through the clock once every twelve hours. They come from different eras and have their own piece of music to match. At 12 noon, all figures parade with music.
| hour | figure | music |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 2 a.m. | Marc Aurel | Pythian victory code of Pindar |
| 2 to 3 a.m. | Charlemagne | Hildebrand song |
| 3 to 4 a.m. | Leopold VI. , the glorious and his wife Theodora, Princess of Byzantium | Nibelungenlied |
| 4 a.m. to 5 p.m. | Walther von der Vogelweide | Crusader song by Walther von der Vogelweide: Palestine song |
| 5 to 6 a.m. | King Rudolf von Habsburg and his wife Anna von Hohenberg | Song of the minstrel "Unverzagt" to King Rudolf von Habsburg |
| 6 a.m. to 7 a.m. | Master Hans Puchsbaum | There is a castle in Austria |
| 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. | Emperor Maximilian I , the last knight | Innsbruck, I have to let you |
| 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. | Mayor Johann Andreas von Liebenberg | O dear Augustine |
| 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. | Count Ernst Rüdiger von Starhemberg | War song |
| 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. | Prince Eugene of Savoy | Prince Eugene, the noble knight |
| 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. | Empress Maria Theresa and her husband Emperor Franz I of Lorraine | Minuet KV 355 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart |
| 12 noon to 1 a.m. | Joseph Haydn | "The heavens tell the glory of God" from creation (originally: imperial hymn ) |
maintenance
A complete restoration took place in mid-2005 under the patronage of the Federal Monuments Office . The watch was placed under monument protection and is now owned by Helvetia Insurance AG. A problem occurred with the maintenance during the changeover to daylight saving time on March 31, 2013. From mid-April to May 24, 2013, the picture figures of the clock, which should all move at 12 o'clock, stood still.
literature
Peter Payer: The synchronized city. Public clocks and time perception, Vienna 1850 until today. Verlag Holzhausen, Vienna 2015. ISBN 978-3-902868-53-4 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ History of Ankeruhr on www.helvetia.com, accessed 1 October 2015
- ↑ Details of the anchor clock at www.helvetia.com, accessed on October 1, 2015
- ↑ http://wien.orf.at/news/stories/2580279/ Ankeruhr: Tourists wait in vain, wien.ORF.at of April 16, 2013
- ↑ Ankeruhr is running again, wien.ORF.at of May 24, 2013
Web links
- Entry on Ankeruhr in the Austria Forum (in the AEIOU Austria Lexicon )
- Helvetia Insurance AG: "ANKER Kunstuhr"
Coordinates: 48 ° 12 ′ 38.7 " N , 16 ° 22 ′ 25.2" E