Czas, którego nie odmierzył zamkowy zegar. Restauracja zegara Zamku Królewskiego w Warszawie przez Stefana Lilpopa na tle starań o restytucję Państwa Polskiego w świetle dokumentów Towarzystwa Opieki nad Zabytkami Przeszłości z lat 1916–1917
TIME UNMEASURED BY THE CASTLE CLOCK. THE RESTORATION OF THE CLOCK OF THE ROYAL CASTLE IN WARSAW BY STEFAN LILPOP IN THE BACKGROUND OF EFFORTS FOR THE RESTITUTION OF THE POLISH STATE IN LIGHT OF DOCUMENTS FROM TOnZP (1916-1917)

Summary/Abstract: The history of the clock on the Sigismund Tower has not previously been the subject ofa separate scholarly study. As a result, publications concerning the structure, completed in1622, long repeated only general information drawn from older literature—sometimes withoutproper grounding in primary sources, and often excused by the alleged lack of documentation.A systematic review of references preserved in inventories and archival materials has madeit possible to outline the Clock’s history on the basis of holdings from the Central Archives ofHistorical Records (AGAD) and the Archive of the Institute of Art at the Polish Academy ofSciences. Their use, however, marks only the beginning of more comprehensive research intothe Clock’s history. The collected materials made it possible to demonstrate the contribution of the royal clockmakerFranciszek Gugenmus to the maintenance of the Clock and to the improvements he introducedto its regulating mechanism. These modifications were connected with the elevation of theClock, in 1816/1817, to the status of Warsaw’s official time standard, which obliged themunicipal authorities to participate in its upkeep. Until early August 1915, the Clock indicatedlocal solar time, determined by the 21°E meridian passing through Warsaw.The main focus of the article is the history of the Clock following the occupation of Warsawby German forces on 5 August 1915. During this period, the Royal Castle—having becomethe seat of the Governor-General Hans von Beseler—was overseen by the Society for theProtection of Historic Monuments, established in 1906. The Clock itself remained under thecare of the municipal clockmaker Stefan Ludwik Lilpop (1872–1923).In the difficult wartime circumstances, Lilpop, working with two journeymen, saved the historicmechanism at his own expense. He carried out a comprehensive restoration, equippingthe Clock with a new escape wheel and anchor “with hardened tips” (most likely a Grahamescapement with adjustable pallets), while maintaining a scrupulous respect for the historicfabric and limiting interventions to the necessary minimum. Thanks to these efforts, the Clockwas able to accommodate changes in timekeeping introduced in the Kingdom of Poland—the adoption of Central European Time in 1915 and daylight-saving time in 1916. Lilpop’sactions stemmed from his full awareness of the symbolic role of the Castle Clock, described asa “witness to our glorious times,” and his donation also served to commemorate his father, therenowned court clockmaker Ludwik Maurycy Lilpop.The renovation carried out in the autumn of 1916 coincided with major milestones on Poland’spath to independence, including the proclamation of the Act of 5 November 1916 and theinauguration of the Provisional Council of State on 14 January 1917—the very day on whichthe Clock resumed operation. Members of the Society for the Protection of Historic Monumentswere surprised by Lilpop’s work, and they requested a post factum formal report. After receivingit and conducting an on-site inspection, they sent a written thank-you letter to the clockmaker.Thanks to the comprehensive restoration undertaken in 1916—followed by further maintenanceworks in 1930—the Clock remained in operation until the tragic fire caused by German artilleryshelling on 17 September 1939.

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