Anchor Clock

"Anker" was a major insurance company (still is: Helvetia Insurance AG) and in the early 1900s invested in the famous Jugendstil Ankeruhr clock, a sort of bridge between their two buildings at the Hoher Markt. Sort of an advertising stunt, the design of painter and professor Franz von Match and clock-maker to the King und Kaiser, Franz Morawetz. Many other firms and individuals were employed in fashioning all the many components of the clock.  In addition to keeping and displaying the time, it features a parade of historically-significant Viennese personalities, one at the top of each hour and then all twelve at high noon. Always bargain-conscious, we were there for the full parade. Each figure is accompanied by appropriate music, too. The clock had its debut just prior to WWI, was turned off for those years, and then had its assorted Habsburg items removed after the war. It was damaged in WWII and did not resume operation until 1956. As usual, Wikipedia has a fine article on it all.

Warning: best fix yourself a cup of very strong coffee before embarking on this post (eine Tasse kaffee...).

Our route had us approach the clock from its rear, so you get to see
a wealth of features not to be seen on other blogs

For example, these toddler caryatids/atlantines...

Why are both girls facing inward?

And these...praying...thinking...

Munching on a golden apple...and...huh?

Obviously there is some deep Jugendstilly symbolism here beyond our
understanding

Underside of the bridge

Proper side of the Anchor Clock...very Art Nouveauy; we arrived
15 minutes early and had plenty of time to explore

Can't tell the players without a program...

And so, at precisely 12:04, the show begins; there's Emperor Marcus
Aurelius, who used to hang out here; we're in a crowd of a couple
hundred, and Vicki is going to video the whole thing; the whole
thing moves rather slowly, and she never got to #2; didn't want to
use up her whole storage allotment on Google

Charlemagne; yes, these all will be on the quiz

Leopold VI

Walter von der Vogelweide...leading German poet of the Middle Ages;
also best male actor/singer in a supporting role in Tannhauser, with one
of Wagner's greatest hits

King Rudolf

Hans Puchsbaum; master architect, associated with St. Stephens;
died after falling from scaffolding; something about a pact with the
Devil...

Emperor Maximilian

Mayor Johann Andreas von Liebenberg

Count Ernst Rudiger of Starhemberg

Prince Eugene of Savoy

Empress Maria Theresa; and hubs Franz I of Lorraine

Lastly, and somewhat surprisingly, Josef Haydn, who composed
the national anthem; personally, I think they missed a great opportunity,
that of playing the second movement from Haydn's "Clock" Symphony,
#101, which I know from my days as last oboist in the Miami Symphonic
Society (if no one else was there, I was first oboist); here's a great 
analysis and exposition from the London Philharmonic, including 
some notes on Haydn's place as father of classical music

Thanks, Anker!