You have to be here just before 12 o'clock and stay for about 12 minutes to really enjoy the full effect of this great clock. Actually, the clock runs a little late, so if you were there at 12 o'clock sharp, you still have to wait a while.
At 12 noon, for your viewing pleasure all fifteen figures (because there is a couple for 3, 5 and 11 o'clock) march across before your eyes accompanied by a piece of music that matches the figure(s), originally from a mechanical organ with 800 pipes, today as digital sound reproduction. The order in which the figures appear corresponds to the accurate historical sequence.
There's a plaque of who those historical characters are just below the clock (photo): 1- Emperor Marcus Aurelius, 2- Charlemagne, 3- Leopold VI, the Glorious & his wife, Theodora, Princess of Byzantium, 4- Walther von der Vogelweide, considered most important German-speaking poet in the Middle Ages, 5- King Rudolf von Habsburg & his wife, Anna von Hohenberg, 6- Master Hans Puchsbaum, the chief architect of St. Stefan Cathedral, 7- Emperor Maximilian I, 8- Mayor Johann Andreas von Liebenberg of Vienna, 9-
Count Ernst Rüdiger von Starhemberg, Defender of Vienna & Field Marshall of the Imperial Army, 10- Prince Eugene of Savoy, known as Prinz Eugen, one of the most important general of the Habsburg Empire, 11- Empress Maria Theresa & her husband, Emperor Franz I of Lorraine, 12- Joseph Haydn
On the back of the bridge there is a conventional clock (photo) with hands and the words "Der Anker."
I don't quite understand some of the past negative reviews. I'd recommend to spend some time here if you are in Vienna. I'm sure you can experience something better than just watching it on YouTube. read more