Two hundred full clock rotations

In the one-day magazine „Świdnica 1945-85” published in 1983 by Regional Association of the Świdnica Land there could be found comprehensive fragments of the memoirs of pioneer from Świdnica (Franciszek Leśniara) who after arriving in 1945 in Świdnica took up a job in the then Municipal Power Plant being part of the Central Board of Municipal Enterprises. In 1945, at the request of Ryszard Syfert, the Commissioner of Power Plant and the deputy director of the Central Board of Municipal Enterprises, he went to the Town Hall Tower to set the clock. Thanks to memoirs of Franciszek Leśniara now we have relatively presise description of the clockwork:

„The clockwork was driven by a huge weight made of eight cast iron bars, 50 kg each. The weight was raised at the proper height by means of electric motor. A drive was equipped with two limit turn-off switches which switched on or off the electric motor when the weight was raised at the proper height. The raising was repeated periodically if there was not any longer break in the supply of electric energy. The operation of the clock was adjusted by a clock pendulum hung on steel belt fastened to the pole on which there was hung a big flat weight in the form of disk. The reason why the clock had stopped I discovered and located quite quickly. Somebody who wanted the clock not to tell the time cut off the supply of voltage on one floor. As it turned out later this was the idea of Pryster – the director of Power Plant. Such clocks were also equipped with manual winch to raise the weight. I could not notice any crack handle which should, just in case, be placed close to the timer”.

After examining the Germans working in the Power Plant who were the last to deal with the clock, one of them – somebody by the name of Wolf – provided Franciszek Leśniara with a crack handle to the timer. Accompanied by Wolf Franciszek Leśniara went up on the tower again concurrently ordering the German to set the clock. „In order to raise the weight at the maximum height it was necessary to turn the shaft approximately 200 times”. He managed to do it. Afterwards they both set the clock. In order not to repeat this action every day Wolf completed the missing section installation and since then the clock electric motors were used to set the clock.

Source: Wspomnienia Franciszka Leśniary, one-day magazine „Świdnica 1945-85” published by Regional Association of the Świdnica Land.