Ebersberg church tower clock: Pastor cranks up time while intoxicated by heights!

Ebersberg church tower clock: Pastor cranks up time while intoxicated by heights!

In Ebersberg there is currently a lot of movement around the clock tower of the St. Sebastian Church. This historic clock can look back on around 250 years of operation, and the Ebersberg pastor Thomas Riedl has established himself as its permanent guardian in recent months. Twice a day, at 8 a.m. in the morning and 8 p.m. in the evening, Riedl climbs the approximately 70-meter-high tower structure with its 129 steps to operate the clock manually. The motors that were originally intended to power it date back to the 1960s and are now defective, which would cause the clock to stop apart from manual cranking actions. As Merkur reports, Riedl also has to stop the pendulum-like clockwork when changing the time and then start it again later, because the metal pendulum rod is temperature-sensitive and the can affect accuracy.

The clock, which was installed in 1784 after a monastery fire, is very popular despite its aging. This mechanical masterpiece is not only important to the community but also a tourist attraction. Many children take part in tours of the church and venture up to the top, where they witness this technical rarity.

A complex transport

The condition of the tower clock has now led to two experts dismantling the clock and examining its mechanics. It is a mammoth project that is proving to be full of hurdles. Numerous associations support the removal of the clock, which has to be transported through steep wooden stairs, a low hole in a tuff stone wall and wooden walkways in the roof structure. Helpers carry the clock in tubs and baskets on their backs to transport it to the ground floor, which represents an enormous logistical effort. Local researchers in the community are also trying to find out where the mechanics originally came from. This assessment and the transport of the historic clock are closely monitored by the Süddeutsche Zeitung.

The clock was originally placed on the towers at a time when tower clocks were just beginning their triumphal march in public buildings. These large, visible clocks not only served liturgical purposes, but also helped to structure the workday. Clocks like the one in Ebersberg are rare these days because many historical mechanisms are either no longer in use or have been privatized. While the mechanics in St. Sebastian Church continue to function, the clock's positive condition may last another 300 years, experts have found.

The future of the church tower clock

Pastor Riedl, who started working in Ebersberg in 2002, will retire in April 2026. Before that, however, it remains to be seen when new motors for the watch will be delivered. Until then, cranking the weights remains the only way for him and the sexton to continue to accurately display the time in Ebersberg. It remains exciting to see how the history of this venerable watch will continue to develop. In a modern world where electricity often takes over the functionality of watches, the St. Sebastian watch stands as a symbol of tradition and craftsmanship.