Joachim Habrecht

Joachim Habrecht (* around 1500 in Diessenhofen , † 1567 in Schaffhausen ) was a clockmaker who specialized in astronomical clocks .

Astronomical clock at the Fronwag Tower

Fronwagturm

Joachim Habrecht is first mentioned around 1519 in connection with the repair of the old tower clock in Bern . In 1537 he married Magdalena Kauf from Gaienhofen and became a citizen of Stein am Rhein . Joachim Habrecht had thirteen children. Isaac Habrecht was the seventh and Josias (born 1552) the tenth. Like their brother Hans, they learned the watchmaking trade. They became famous for the construction of the astronomical clock in the Strasbourg Cathedral , in which the Schaffhausen painter Tobias Stimmer also participated.

He acquired the citizenship of Schaffhausen on October 5, 1540. He practiced his profession in the Neustadt, where he owned a house. The learned man who mastered mathematics and the laws of astronomy had specialized in astronomical wheel clocks . His reputation went far beyond the city walls of Schaffhausen. In 1558 the council elected Habrecht to be the bell judge (town clock maker) of Schaffhausen.

Front wagon tower clock

In 1561 he received an order from the city to make a clock for St. Johann and the Fronwagturm . In addition, Habrecht worked on a complicated astronomical clock. After a closer inspection and examination, the council of Schaffhausen bought them and had them erected in the Fronwagturm to "adorn the city and to delight the locals and guests".

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} Joachim Habrecht's astronomical clock on the Fronwagturm in Schaffhausen. In: stadtarchiv-schaffhausen.ch. Retrieved August 16, 2012 .