HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Paul Behrens (1893–1984) was a
clockmaker A clockmaker is an artisan who makes and/or repairs clocks. Since almost all clocks are now factory-made, most modern clockmakers only repair clocks. Modern clockmakers may be employed by jewellers, antique shops, and places devoted strictly t ...
in
Lübeck Lübeck (; or ; Latin: ), officially the Hanseatic League, Hanseatic City of Lübeck (), is a city in Northern Germany. With around 220,000 inhabitants, it is the second-largest city on the German Baltic Sea, Baltic coast and the second-larg ...
in northern
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
.


Life

Behrens was the son of Paul Behrens sr, who himself had been a clockmaker in
Lübeck Lübeck (; or ; Latin: ), officially the Hanseatic League, Hanseatic City of Lübeck (), is a city in Northern Germany. With around 220,000 inhabitants, it is the second-largest city on the German Baltic Sea, Baltic coast and the second-larg ...
. Paul Behrens jr took over the management of the family company ("Uhrenhaus Behrens") in 1936 and remained at its helm until 1975. Behrens is best known for his reconstruction of the peal of bells of
St. Mary's Church St. Mary's Church, St. Mary the Virgin's Church, St. Mary Church, Saint Mary Church, or other variations on the name, is a commonly used name for specific churches of various Christian denominations. Notable uses of the term may refer to: Albania ...
in Lübeck and his creation of the new
Astronomical Clock An astronomical clock, horologium, or orloj is a clock with special mechanisms and dials to display astronomical information, such as the relative positions of the Sun, Moon, zodiacal constellations, and sometimes major planets. Definition ...
in the same church (the original peal of bells and Astronomical Clock had been destroyed in the
Bombing of Lübeck in World War II During World War II, the city of Lübeck was the first German city to be attacked in substantial numbers by the Royal Air Force. The attack on the night of 28 March 1942 created a firestorm that caused severe damage to the historic centre, wit ...
). He also ensured the financing of these initiatives and was able to give the completed clock to the church in 1967. In the same year, the city of Lübeck awarded Paul Behrens the Ehrenplakette of the Senate, one of the honours in the gift of the Senate of Lübeck.


Further reading

Hans-Joachim Thilo, "Predigt anläßlich der Trauerfeier für Paul Behrens", in Rolf Saltzwedel (Editor), ''St Marien Jahrbuch 1987 des St. Marien-Bauvereins'', 1987 {{DEFAULTSORT:Behrens, Paul German clockmakers People from Lübeck 1893 births 1984 deaths