V I E N N A S I G H T S
VIENNA CLOCK MUSEUM
A unique pearl in the center of the city is the Clock Museum. Seven hundred hours from all over the world measure time here. The three floors of the exhibition tell the story of scientific achievements and technological accuracy, as well as the trends of social transformation and design in decorative art. Clock desktop with hidden dials, fascinating astronomical clock, luxurious pendant ornaments, clever clock of the Biedermeier era and Bell Epoe- this form is just part of the kaleidoscope of the clock.
Richly decorated code clocks confirm the social status of their owners. The exquisite dishes of the Viennese Biedermeier period include the famous " Wall clock on the pendulum ", as well as the miniature " Zappler " desktop clock, some of which are small enough to fit under a thimble. On the contrary, the clock mechanism was installed in the southern tower of St. Stephen ' s Cathedral in 1699. It weighs almost a ton.
Among the main exhibits of the Museum of Watches- the watch " Caetano "- a complex astronomical clock, created in the eighteenth century by the monk David Sankto Caetano. One hundred and fifty wheels and gears combine in perfect precision to show not only the time of the day in different places, but also the motion of planets and even solar and lunar eclipses.
The original collection dates back to 1917, and to a large extent it is based on two private collections. The first owner was Ambassador Rudolf Kaftan, a secondary school teacher and first director of the museum. Writer Maria Ebner- Eschenbach collected the second collection of precious pocket watches.