Peter Kinzing (1745–1816) was a noted

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

Mennonite Mennonites are groups of Anabaptist Christian church communities of denominations. The name is derived from the founder of the movement, Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland. Through his writings about Reformed Christianity during the Ra ...

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Kinzing was born in

Neuwied Neuwied () is a town in the north of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, capital of the District of Neuwied. Neuwied lies on the east bank of the Rhine, 12 km northwest of Koblenz, on the railway from Frankfurt am Main to Cologne. Th ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

, and is supposed to have made his first pendulum clock at the age of ten. He began work with the German ''

ébéniste ''Ébéniste'' () is a loanword (from French) for a cabinet-maker, particularly one who works in ebony. Etymology and ambiguities As opposed to ''ébéniste'', the term ''menuisier'' denotes a woodcarver or chairmaker in French. The English equiv ...

David Roentgen David Roentgen (1743 in HerrnhaagFebruary 12, 1807), was a famous German cabinetmaker of the eighteenth century, famed throughout Europe for his marquetry and his secret drawers and poes and mechanical fittings. His work embraces the late Rococ ...

circa 1770; Roentgen made the cases, and Kinzing produced the complicated mechanisms with automatic musical instruments, especially organs und dulcimers, a few carillons are also known of. In 1785 both were honored with titles from the French monarchy. Kinzing was called ''horloger de la reine'' (Clockmaker to the Queen). Around 1785 Kinzing produced a series of longcase regulators with dials according to the plans of

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin ( April 17, 1790) was an American polymath who was active as a writer, scientist, inventor An invention is a unique or novel device, method, composition, idea or process. An invention may be an improvement upon a m ...

, whom Kinzing and Roentgen probably became acquainted with in Paris. These clocks were housed in obelisk cases made by the Roentgen workshops. They were sold mainly to principalities in Central Europe. In Europe the clocks are called Franklin clocks. The quintessence of Kinzing's mechanical musical clocks was the series of so-called Apollo clocks. A superb example of an Apollo clock is to be found in the Roentgen Museum Neuwied Germany. Peter Kinzing is also known to have produced at least 2 equation month going regulators also in obelisk case, one of which is still situated in the Leipzig town hall. Kinzing was among the first German clockmakers to make precision regulators with equation movements in the contemporary French style. Kinzing died in 1816 in

Mannheim Mannheim (; Palatine German: or ), officially the University City of Mannheim (german: Universitätsstadt Mannheim), is the second-largest city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg after the state capital of Stuttgart, and Germany's ...

References

* Fabin, Dietrich: Kinzing und Roentgen Uhren aus Neuwied. 1984. * Kreismuseum Neuwied: Kinzing & Co. Innovative Uhren aus der Provinz. 2003.

External links

*
Website of the Roentgen museum (Kreismuseum) in Neuwied Germany
1745 births 1816 deaths Engineers from Rhineland-Palatinate German Mennonites People from Neuwied German clockmakers {{Germany-engineer-stub