Forchtenberg clock tower
The Forchtenberg tower clock , also known as the Backhaus clock , is one of the oldest mechanical tower clocks still in existence . In contrast to the controversial dating of the clock in Salesbury Cathedral, the year 1463 was carved into the clock frame from Forchtenberg . This refers either to the year of construction or to the time of the first repair. The monument office assumes that the Backhaus clock was built in the 14th century. The first wheel clocks with a bar escapement were made around 1300; these were initially pure beat clocks , later one-pointer clocks . The Forchtenberger watch is a rare one-hand watch.
The tower clock was removed and stored in 1976 from the historic bakery in the town of Forchtenberg in north-eastern Baden-Württemberg. A consortium made up of various bodies has been taking care of the preservation and restoration of the watch since 2012.
Find and rebuild
Location
The Forchtenberg clock tower was installed in the clock tower of the bakery in the historic center of the city until 1976 , before extensive repairs were necessary. In order not to damage the historical gear train by installing an electric drive, the city council decided to remove the old clock tower and store it safely. A new electronic clock was installed in its place.
When it was rediscovered in 2012, only the two dials , some weights and parts of the hands were left in the former clock tower . The actual mechanics of the clock were found in an archive building of the city of Forchtenberg (former Armbruster building). The watch was stored in the Diebsturm in Forchtenberg until 2011. The tower was cleared in 2011 due to renovation work. At the time it was found, the watch was in a badly weathered condition. Nevertheless, the watch was complete and undamaged, so that it could be successfully restored. The clock was stored with other parts of a clock (probably parts of the clock of the Protestant church).
Picture A found in January 2012
Picture B found in January 2012
Picture C found in January 2012
Image D found in January 2012
Image E found in January 2012
restoration
The dirt was removed by gentle treatment with dry ice blasting, but the patina was retained. The cleaning was so successful that even the former construction lines of the gears could be made visible again.
After cleaning, the movement was in an impressively good condition. The mechanism of the watch is complete and intact, without showing any major damage. After restoration by a specialist workshop for the reconstruction of historical clocks, it has been functional again since June 2016. No changes were made to the movement during the restoration. A gear was reversibly attached to each of the winding shafts. With the help of electric motors, the clockwork is automatically wound up every day and is therefore in continuous operation again. The clock drives the two hands of the dials and the bell directly.
functionality
When Forchtenberger tower clock is at the origin of a mechanical Waaguhr with Foliot also (bar inhibition) or Waag called as was common in the 15th century. The remains of the balance escapement can still be clearly seen on the watch frame.
In the course of further technical development, the clock was rebuilt and modernized several times. In the 17th century the balance escapement was finally replaced by a pendulum mechanism in order to increase the accuracy of the movement.
Age and history
Dating
A wide variety of dates have been engraved on the watch's frame, the first of which refers to the year 1463. The Gothic 4 was slightly damaged by the installation of a bronze bearing above. The other years 1613, 1621, 1724, 1781, 1878 and 1901 indicate repair dates. The engraving of the year 1463 has been confirmed as authentic by various experts. However, it is unclear whether this is the year of manufacture or the time of the first repair.
The spelling of the number 1463 shows typical features of the Gothic spelling, which was used until the end of the 15th century. Compared to today's spelling, the number four is bent 45 ° forward and therefore resembles a diamond. This spelling can be found in many southern German churches from this time.
history
Because the watch was removed from its original position in 1976 and then forgotten. The clock can be verified in Forchtenberg until 1606. At that time it was the job of the Forchtenberg schoolmaster to maintain and set the clock.
The dating of the building to 1463 at the latest indicates that the clock was constructed either in Nuremberg or Strasbourg. In the 14th and 15th centuries, these two cities were the most famous centers for tower clock construction north of the Alps. The tower clock probably came to Forchtenberg at a later date.
In Forchtenberg there were only two gates until 1600. The upper gate and the so-called well gate.
In 1606 the clock at the Brunnentor, today's Backhausor, was mentioned for the first time in municipal council minutes. In 1713 a new wooden clock board was installed. There was a gatehouse in front of the fountain gate, which is still present on the plan from 1831. The fountain gate was demolished around 1833. The gatehouse was only demolished in 1838. The Forchtenberger Backhaus is located on the site of the gatehouse. The clock and parts of the tower were removed before the demolition, stored and then installed in the new tower. The fountain gate was replaced by two stone pillars, which are still visible today on the bakery and on the opposite wall.
The last major repair was carried out in 1878 by the Forchtenberg watchmaker G. Wagner, who also made an engraving on the watch frame. Until it was removed in 1976, the clock was not fundamentally revised, which is why it no longer worked when it was dismantled.
Research and presentation
research
In order to find out more about the origin and history of the Forchtenberger watch, detailed research will be carried out in the coming years. In 2016, extensive research on the Backhaus Forchtenberg and the tower clock was published
presentation
Since its restoration, the clock has been installed in its original position in the bakery and is open to the public. The bakery and the tower clock received the Baden-Württemberg Monument Protection Prize in 2019
literature
- Judith Breuer: The bakery with clock tower in Forchtenberg. From the cessation of construction to the award of the monument protection prize. Newsletter of the preservation of monuments in Baden-Württemberg, year 2019, issue 2, pp.73-79 (PDF; 7.9 MB)
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ German Foundation for Monument Protection: Tower clock in the back house tower. German Foundation for Monument Protection, December 1, 2016, accessed on April 1, 2018 (German).
- ↑ Frank Lutz: Precious find from the 15th century on Voice.de from January 25, 2013, accessed on September 29, 2014
- ↑ Christopher Mc Kay The Great Salisbury Clock Trial, Antiquarian Horological Society Turret Clock Group, 1993
- ↑ a b Minutes of the city council meeting of the city of Forchtenberg on January 13, 1976
- ^ Christiane Rossner: Luck for the tower clock from Forchtenberg . In: Monuments. Magazine for Monument Culture in Germany , vol. 27 (2017), issue 3, p. 51.
- ↑ The age of the watch and the associated engraving on the frame were determined independently by Dr. Thomas Kreutzer (District Office Hohenlohekreis), Matthias Matthaes (Museo d´Arte e Sienca), Dr. Markus Naser (University of Würzburg), Günter Dürr (specialist company Dürr Turmuhren) and Jens Riesner MA (company Historica) have been confirmed as genuine and original.
- ↑ See: Anton Lübke: The clock - from the sundial to the atomic clock ; Düsseldorf, 1958
- ↑ See: Stadtarchiv Stadt Forchtenberg; City Council Minutes 1700–2012
- ↑ Research 2016
- ^ Gerhard Kabierske: The winners of the Monument Preservation Prize 2018. In: Web page of the Swabian Heimatbund and the Badische Heimat association. The Swabian Heimatbund and the regional association Badische Heimat, April 4, 2019, accessed on June 1, 2019 (German).