Berlin Clock

Brief Information

The Berlin Clock shows the time not with hands or digits, but with a set of glowing lamps. In 1975, Dieter Binninger created it on commission from the Senate of Berlin, and this design became the first clock of its kind in the world. Its seven-meter height is not important in itself: what stands before the viewer is not an instrument on a wall, but an urban object in which time has been turned into a scheme of rows, colors, and blinking.

At first, the clock stood at the corner of Kurfuerstendamm and Uhlandstrasse, and after it stopped in 1995, it was moved to Budapester Strasse near the Europa Center. When it was first installed, the time was displayed on both sides; after the move, one side was switched off. So its present appearance is connected not only with the inventor's idea, but also with expensive maintenance: hundreds of lamp replacements made such a system noticeably demanding.

What to Notice First

The main focus is not the shape of the clock, but the way it is read. The upper round yellow lamp is responsible for the seconds: if it is lit, the seconds are odd; if not, they are even. Below it are two red rows of four lamps each: the first counts the time in five-hour blocks, and the second adds individual hours. So the upper half shows not a picture, but the arithmetic of the day.

The minutes are arranged in a similar way, but the color helps you keep track. The third row has 11 lamps: eight yellow and three red; each represents five minutes, while the red ones mark 15, 30, and 45 minutes. The bottom row of four yellow lamps adds the individual minutes. You can compare the upper and lower rows: the whole structure works like an abacus, where the position, color, and number of lit fields matter more than a familiar clock face.