Video: Unique astronomical clock of the Renaissance that still works today
2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55
A huge astronomical clock located in Strasbourg Cathedral in France, are a unique masterpiece of the Renaissance, created by mathematicians, artists and other leading specialists of their time. Today this watch is one of the city's visiting cards. Many tourists strive to get to the cathedral just to look at the old operating mechanism.
The clock was installed in the Strasbourg Cathedral in the XIV century (between 1352-1354). They were equipped with mechanical components very rare for their era. On the clock there was a gilded rooster and three biblical kings installed in front of the image of the Virgin. Exactly at 12.00, the figures were set in motion: the rooster flapped its wings and crowed, and the kings bowed to the Mother of God.
Beginning in 1547, the mathematician Konrad Dasipodius, the mechanics of Habrechts and the painter Tobias Stimmer took up the improvement of the mechanism. The watchmakers replaced the chronometer and rooster and added astronomical functions.
In 1789, during the French Revolution, the clock in the cathedral was damaged. They did not function for almost half a century. Then watchmaker Jean-Baptiste Schwilge took over their restoration. He replaced the non-working mechanism and additionally installed a mini-planetarium with four dials and a church calendar on the clock. The height of the entire structure has increased from 12 meters to 30 meters.
Every year, on New Year's Eve, the clock makes a full revolution and “floating” dates of such holidays as Easter, Ascension, Pentecost appear on special displays. The mechanism has a gear that moves unrealistically slowly. It determines the precession (deviation) of the earth's axis. It will take 28,000 years for this gear to make a complete revolution.
In addition to the complex mechanism and the indication of several types of time, the Strasbourg clock attracts tourists with moving figures. Every quarter of an hour, one of the four statuettes rides in front of the audience. First the infant appears, then the youth. After him comes the turn of a mature man and, finally, an old man. All of them flicker in front of the skeleton, symbolizing death and the frailty of life.
At 12.30 a bell is heard ringing, all the figures are launched into action: the rooster crows, Jesus Christ appears on the "stage", followed by the 12 apostles. The show ends with a procession of ancient Roman gods symbolizing the days of the week.
No less unique ancient movement are astronomical clock on the Old Town Square in Prague. They are 600 years old and they are still ticking.
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