Tübingen Rathaus Astronomical Clock
N 48° 31.214 E 009° 03.218
32U E 503960 N 5374125
This clock has been ticking for more than 490 years.
Waymark Code: WM10EW
Location: Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Date Posted: 12/02/2006
Views: 115
Johannes Stöffler, the mathematician, physicist and astronomer from Tübingen was born in 1452 and taught at Tübingen University beginning in 1511. One can attribute to him with some certainty the construction of the astronomical clock in 1510. However, 3 years after his death in 1531, the "Sapienz", the oldest building in the University was completely burned down and with it the library and archives were completely destroyed. However, declarations from contemporaries, Johannes Kepler and Martin Crusius among others, leave hardly a doubt that Stöffler did build the clock on the Tübingen Rathaus.
Johannes Stöffler's clock was, until 1849, lodged on the first floor of the Rathaus in a bay in the place of the present balcony. With the renovation of this story, the astronomical clock was moved to the decorative gable on the fourth story, where it has, unfortunately, been difficult for the observer on the marketplace to read the markings ever since.
The two clock faces, the hour face and the face with the zodiac signs, were in 1849/50 completely renewed in a contemporary style. The old zodiac face was turned over and used as the hour face until 1969, when, with the last major renovation project, it was replaced with a new face.
Moving the clock up to the roof level, however, disturbed its functioning: repairs had to be carried out several times in the following years. After an inspection in 1888, the old hour clock had to be replaced and scrapped. But afterwards the new hour clock didn't harmonize correctly with the astronomical clockwork. The latter was repeatedly out of order; during the Second World War, it could finally no longer be made to work. The clock mechanism was first repaired in 1949, but the repair of the astronomical clock was put off until a later time.
In 1979 the clock received a syncronous master clock with Quartz timing and a Glockenspiel, which ever since plays the "Kopenhagener Rathausschlag" - albeit since 1988 only at 9:00, 12:00, 16:00, and 18:00 due to the protests of the local inhabitants.
It is finally thanks to two clock amateurs from Ulm and Tübingen that all the clocks on the Tübingen town hall work correctly again. Via an inspection and appraisal they determined that the cost of restoration was less than feared. And so by the end of 1993, the old clockwork could once again be repaird. Since December 16, 1993 the astronomical clock functions again with precision and without failure.
Status: Working
Display: Mounted
Year built: 01/01/1510
Web link to additional info: Not listed
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Photo of clock.