Violent squalls raged over Munich in the early hours of November 5th, and at 4:54 a.m. the mishap occurred at the church tower of Old Peter. The pair of hands on the lower dial of the clock on the west side got caught, the drive motor could no longer move the hands, and the sheet metal in the middle segment of the minute hand was torn in two places. The city’s building department was able to loosen the hands and reinstall them so that the time was correct. However, the sheet steel was so badly damaged that the hands had to be removed two and a half weeks later. They are currently being repaired and will be reinstalled in the tenth calendar week at the beginning of March.
They ensure that the hands are repaired: Johann Wunderer from the construction department, Michael Münch from Turmuhren Rauscher and Markus Meyer, also from the construction department (from left).
(Photo: Robert Haas)
The fact that the restoration is taking so long, and not just four weeks as originally announced, is due to monument protection. The authority originally planned to replace more material because, from a technical perspective, longevity and cost-effectiveness were the priority, explains Johann Wunderer, who is responsible for public clocks in the building department. After discussions with the lower monument protection authority, they now want to try to preserve as much as possible. Now only the rear pointer holder, the so-called pointer clip, needs to be completely replaced. In addition, a stainless steel H-piece will be installed in the middle section.
In addition to re-attaching the substructure, the cracks in the sheet metal are of course also repaired. The construction as a whole is also being strengthened, riveted and soldered so that it doesn’t get stuck again, says Wunderer. However, the repair work means that the 23 kilogram minute hand and the 14 kilogram hour hand have to be rebalanced. Ultimately, the aim is to put as little weight as possible on the old gears in the future.
The work is technically quite demanding and, according to Wunderer, will take several days. Because only a few companies still have the necessary know-how, the city has outsourced the repairs to the Turmuhren Rauscher company in Regensburg. The work is likely to cost a higher four-digit euro amount.