Äquatorialsonnenuhr in Frankfurt am Main, Equatorial sundial and world clock on the Main riverbank in Frankfurt, Germany
The equatorial sundial in Frankfurt is a ring-shaped copper sculpture that displays time through sunlight and carries monthly markings. The construction features a rotating ring arrangement with various design elements for timekeeping.
Designed by engineer and clockmaker Lothar M. Loske and built by the Heddernheimer Metallwerke, the sundial was inaugurated on 26 April 1951 in the Nizza park. The works donated it to the city of Frankfurt. In 2004, after restoration, it was moved 1.4 km upstream to its present site because trees shaded it and space was needed for a restaurant.
The sundial displays the names of about 200 cities on its rotating ring, which visitors can discover while passing by. These engravings connect timekeeping with a global perspective on the continents.
The work stands in a public area beside the Ignatz-Bubis Bridge and is accessible for free throughout the year. Visitors can explore the surroundings at any time without prior registration or reservation.
The clock was moved about 1.4 kilometres upstream, not east, in 2004: from the Nizza park to the Main bank below the Schöne Aussicht, because trees there had grown tall enough to shade it and a restaurant was to be built. The step on the old base, meant to help shorter visitors turn the world-time ring, was left off; the deed of gift it held is now kept in Frankfurt's Institute for City History.
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