World Time Clock

The sixteen-ton world clock was unveiled to the public on 30 September 1969, shortly before the twentieth anniversary of the German Democratic Republic, along with the Berlin TV Tower (Fernsehturm). The assembly of the clock was part of a larger plan to expand and reorganize Alexanderplatz as a whole. At the end of the renovations, the square was four times larger than it was at the end of World War II.

The clock was designed by designer Erich John, who at the time was an employee of the planning group for the transformation of Alexanderplatz under Walter Womacka. Before designing the clock and directing its construction, John was a lecturer at the Kunsthochschule Berlin-Weißensee (later Hochschule für bildende und angewandte Kunst, "College of Fine and Applied Arts"), where he taught product design. The idea of ​​erecting a clock on Alexanderplatz was developed by World War II in 1966 during the restoration of the square.

Making the clock required more than 120 engineers and other experts, including sculptor Hans-Joachim Kunsch; The company Getriebefabrik Coswig was also instrumental in its construction. There was no widely recognized design award in Germany at the time, so John did not receive an award for his work. However, he received a design award in 1982 with a different design.

In 1987, a commemorative coin with the World Clock image was issued. In 1997, during a necessary repair to the movement, the cities of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem were added to the watch - when it was built, the cities were neglected due to the political sensitivities surrounding the nation of Israel at the time. Two cities whose names have changed since the watch's inception were also changed: Leningrad (to Saint Petersburg) and Alma ancestor