Clock mechanism repaired: St Jakobi is ticking correctly again

Lübeck (10 August 2026) Time had stood still at St Jakobi in Lübeck – until now. A clockmaker has identified the cause of the sudden stoppage of the hands on the tower clock of Lübeck’s city centre church. From Tuesday, 11 August 2026, at around 2 pm – the very time the hands stopped – it should be showing the time normally again.

“The clock is a monster,” says Martin Stadermann – referring less to its danger than to its sheer size. The clockmaker from Preetz (Plön district) is an expert in old tower clocks – having, for example, already ensured that the large timepieces in Hamburg, Herrenhausen and Hanover are ticking correctly again. “I think they’re brilliant because they’ve been telling people the time for so long – and you can rely on them, at least most of the time.” He quickly found the fault with the St Jakobi clock too. Shortly after climbing the spiral staircase and wooden ladders to a height of around 60 metres, the familiar clacking of the cogs can once again be heard in the small enclosure in the roof of St Jakobi.

It had stopped just before two o’clock

But let’s take a step back: the 17th-century clock had only been serviced as normal around three weeks ago and was running perfectly. In the 1990s, it was fitted with a motor so that someone wouldn’t have to climb to dizzying heights every day to wind it up by hand. But a few days ago, observant passers-by noticed that the hands of the only church clock in Lübeck city centre had stopped just before two o’clock – the cause remains unclear.

Possible cause: a power cut

“With this clock, I suspect that the power cut caused the weight to drop all the way down and come to rest on the floor,” says Stadermann. One of the thunderstorms over the past few weeks might well have been responsible. 

“Normally, the clock regulates the winding and stopping automatically,” says the clockmaker. “In this case, however, it was unable to wind itself up again. That’s why the motors had to be operated manually so that the weight could be pulled back up.” Another task that had to be carried out by hand was giving the heavy pendulum a ‘nudge’ to get the clock running again.

The tower clock is, of course, an integral part of life in the city

“We are very pleased that the problem with the tower clock was resolved so quickly and that it is now running reliably again,” says Jan-Dirk Verwey, chairman of the 7Türme+ Foundation and a member of the parish council of St Jakobi. “After all, a tower clock is far more than just a timepiece: for generations, it has set the rhythm of the day for people and is a natural part of city life. “The fact that it works is not something to be taken for granted.” Verwey adds: “Such technical installations are also part of our seven towers and must be looked after and maintained so that they can continue to do what they have been doing for centuries: be there for the people.”

The clock will start ticking again from Tuesday

And yet, on Monday (10 August 2026), the people of Lübeck have still not been able to enjoy a working tower clock. The reason for this is that, as you cannot simply set the time at will on a clock of this size, it is necessary to wait once more – namely until the time at which it stopped: two o’clock again, on Tuesday afternoon. Then a member of the Jakobi staff will set the mechanism in motion again. As the four hand mechanisms are linked by a system of rods, the same time is displayed ‘automatically’ on all four sides. Stadermann sums it up: “And then the clock will tick away again, dutifully and merrily – showing the people of Lübeck what time it is.”