"The Zimmertower and it's astronomical clock" Top 5 Page for this destination Lier Travelogue by Pavlik_NL

In 1930 Louis Zimmer presented the world with his astronomical clock, that he had built in the years before that inside a tower in the Belgian town Lier. Many were amazed, not so much about the fact that this clock tell more then only the time, date and many more, but that everything is connected with only one hourwork! One device, that steeres all thirteen plates and pointers. In that year the clock was superior towards all other works of the kind on earth and was a symbol of originality, ingenuity, precision and craftmanship. Not for nothing Albert Einstein himself was congratulating Louis Zimmer with his creation and listened intrested to how he explained the machines way of working.

Zimmer clock museum

The history and explanations about how Zimmer built his masterpiece, can be found in the museum next to the tower (the white building). Here they make clear in a simple way how the clock works and tell about the life of Louis Zimmer. It's the place to be for those who are fascinated by the astronomical clock and need explanation about all the plates it is showing on the outside, as well as the enormous device inside the tower. This building also houses the astronomical studio in which even more data can be obtained then from the clock itself. This "watch" that he presented in 1935 for the worldexposition, is actually the true masterpiece of Louis Zimmer.

Business around Lier's first sightseeing item

The tower in which the astronomical clock of Zimmer is built is called the Cornelius-tower and was a part of the old citywall (that's why the prisonersgate is so close and the old wall ran between them straight over the present square). Louis Zimmer offered his masterpiece to the town Lier and they immediately saw that the best place to show it to all people was the tower that then was standing already isolated. Of course it had to be renovated properly and both clock and tower are fitting well together.

Tic tac tic tac tic tac tic tac tic tac tic tac

Besides the usual hourplate, showing you what time it is at that moment in Lier, the Zimmerclock has the next features (among others :
* day and night, the border between dark and light situated on earth.
* the day and the month (according to more then one calendre)
* position of the planets (as seen from the sun)
* position of the starsigns
* expectations of comets
* the tides of the sea
* position of the earth latitudes and longthetudes
The astronomical studio (in the museum) adds an dazzling amount more data to his little brother outside. One worldrecord does the towerclock still hold. That of slowliest moving pointer in the world. It takes 25.800 years before it has completed the circle.

Isn't she a beauty: the Zimmer tower clock

On the rightside of the tower are some figures to be seen. They are figures from Belgian literature.