Let’s Meet Under the World Clock

Alexanderplatz isn’t a really friendly place. After the destruction of World War II, the area was rebuilt into one which would be car-friendlier. Which explains it’s large roads and somewhat barren landscape. On the other side of the train station to the television tower you’ll find an open square with some shopping possibilities, a surprisingly large and somewhat ugly fountain and the World Clock (Weltzeituhr).

The World Clock dates from the late 1960′s when the entire area was changed into its current form, with the aim of making it a more pleasant spot to hang out with your socialist buddies. The clock is a ten metre high metal construction looking like abarrel on a stick topped by a highly inaccurate representation of the solar system.

The barrel is divided into twenty-four segments in three layers. The bottom represents each time zone on the planet, engraved with cities in that time zone. The middle ring is the actual clock, the twenty-four hours of the dayrotate slowly around through the time zones and let you know what time it is in Havana right now. This was vitally important information in the former East Germany of course, where no one was actually allowed to leave.

The whole thing is run by an adapted Trabant motor, still the original one. Surprising if you are familiar with Trabants – East Germany’s only car, powered by what seems to be a lawn mower engine and capable of an amazing 27 horse power. But apparently it’s enough to keep this clock ticking over.

The World Clock was one of the favourite meeting places in east Berlin, and still is today. The more obvious stand directly under the slowly spinning barrel, but you will still find large numbers f people standing around it, looking surreptitiously at their phones and trying not to appear stood up. If you’re in town, why don’t we meet up under the World Clock?

More information on PlanetEye: Urania-Weltzeituhr