This astronomical clock was built in 1472 by Hans Düringer and is the only one of its kind still in working condition with its original clockwork. It stands in St. Mary’s church (Marienkirche), the biggest of three town churches in the Hanseatic city of Rostock.
A fascinating detail of the clock is the depicted calendar. It shows each date from 1885 to 2017. Besides religious dates, it also informs about the time of sunrises for each day. The current calendar disc is already the fourth one. The first calendar disc started around 1470/72.
By the way, nobody has to fear that the world will end on January 1st, 2018. During my visit in June 2016, a new calendar disc waited in the sacristy for its use. This disc will then apply for the next 133 years.
Sources / More info
- Astronomical clock (Website)
- St. Mary’s Church (Wikipedia)
- St. Mary’s Church (Website)