The “Astronomical World Clock” by August Noll

Between 1880 and 1885 August Noll constructed a huge clock in Villingen that had several indications and automated figures. It depicts three theme areas:

A globe of the earth and 16 small dials show different times on the earth. In 1885 Germany did not as yet havea unified time standard. That is why some German cities had different times than others.
A calendar and the indication of the sun‘s position, the moon phase, and the length of the day show the passage of a year‘s and a day‘s time.
A vast number of automated figures and images stand for transience and religious holidays.

August Noll would put the large “Astronolical World Clock” on display in many cities and demonstrate how it worked. He later built two larger ones; however, they were destroyed during the Second World War. Even the first one suffered damages, but it could be restored for the most part.