Isaac (1544–1620) and Josias (1552–1575) Habrecht were two clockmaker brothers from

Schaffhausen Schaffhausen (; gsw, Schafuuse; french: Schaffhouse; it, Sciaffusa; rm, Schaffusa; en, Shaffhouse) is a list of towns in Switzerland, town with historic roots, a municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in northern Switzerland, and the ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

. They were hired to build the second

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 ...

Strasbourg Strasbourg (, , ; german: Straßburg ; gsw, label=Bas Rhin Alsatian, Strossburi , gsw, label=Haut Rhin Alsatian, Strossburig ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France and the official seat of the Eu ...

between 1571 and 1574, its design being created by Christian Herlin and later his pupil

Conrad Dasypodius Conrad Dasypodius (1532 – 26 April 1600) was a professor of mathematics in Strasbourg, Alsace. He was born in Frauenfeld, Thurgau, Switzerland. His first name was also rendered as Konrad or Conradus or Cunradus, and his last name has been al ...

. Josias and Isaac were two sons of the clockmaker Joachim Habrecht who built the astronomical clock in Schaffhausen.

Joachim Habrecht

Joachim has also built a clock in Solothurn.

Isaac Habrecht

Born 23 February 1544 in Schaffhausen, he died 11 November 1620 in Strasbourg. In 1566 he married Anna Rueger. In 1586 he married Margarete Beck.

Josias Habrecht

Brother of Isaac Habrecht.

Cultural references

* Habrecht is mentioned in

Orson Welles George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, known for his innovative work in film, radio and theatre. He is considered to be among the greatest and most influential f ...

' 1946 film '' The Stranger''. Mr. Wilson, played by

Edward G. Robinson Edward G. Robinson (born Emanuel Goldenberg; December 12, 1893January 26, 1973) was a Romanian-American actor of stage and screen, who was popular during the Hollywood's Golden Age. He appeared in 30 Broadway plays and more than 100 films duri ...

, looks at the church clock and says, "I couldn't judge too well out front, but I'd say it was 16th century. Probably by Habrecht of Strasbourg." Charles Higham, in his book about Welles' movies, points out that it was not.

References

*Bach, Henri; Rieb, Jean-Pierre & Wilhelm, Robert; ''Les trois horloges astronomiques de la cathédrale de Strasbourg'', 1992. *Habrecht ancestors in Isabelle Pintart's family. * *Higham, Charles; ''The Films of Orson Welles'', University of California Press, 1971, p. 100. *Scheck, Peter; "Die Uhrmacher Habrecht von Schaffhausen", in ''Schaffhauser Magazin'', 4, 1989, 27-31. *Ungerer, Alfred & Théodore; ''L'horloge astronomique de la cathédrale de Strasbourg'', Strasbourg, 1922.

External links

*
Die astronomische Uhr des Fronwagturms - Peter Scheck
' (In German)

*
Mes Bases Généalogiques
' (In French) {{DEFAULTSORT:Habrecht, Isaac and Josias Swiss clockmakers de:Isaak Habrecht