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CULTURE

German collector turns back time as clocks go forward

Some 366 clocks cover the walls in the living room of 76-year-old Werner Stechbarth's apartment in Munich, the haul from a life spent criss-crossing the globe.

Published: 30 March 2024 17:02 CET
Werner Stechbarth (76) sets one of the clocks from his 366-strong collection in his living room in Munich, southern Germany
Werner Stechbarth (76) sets one of the clocks from his 366-strong collection in his living room in Munich, southern Germany, on March 22, 2024. The move to daylight-saving time is a busy period for the pensioner, who takes it upon himself to adjust every one of his timepieces. (Photo by Christof STACHE / AFP) 

The yearly move to daylight saving time is a busy period for the pensioner, who has to manually adjust every one of his timepieces.

Work started well ahead of the beginning of European summer time early Sunday morning, when the continent’s clocks will skip forward an hour.

“I start one or two weeks before and I continue after the clocks change, stress free,” Stechbarth told AFP, sitting in his lounge.

A Bavarian themed clock as part of the collection of Werner Stechbarth is pictured in his living room in Munich, southern Germany, on March 22, 2024. (Photo by Michaela STACHE / AFP) 

His collection includes not just classic mechanical clocks but a few digital models with LED displays.

Each timepiece is set to a slightly different time to avoid them striking in unison at the top of every hour.

All the same, the room is filled with the sound of ticking and the intermittent whistle of a cuckoo.

As a chef for the German national carrier Lufthansa, Stechbarth had access to cheap airline tickets, which he used to travel the globe collecting clocks.

“The first is from Mexico, I brought it back in 1975. It was my mother’s idea,” he said, picking out a Coca-Cola branded piece in pride of place by the window.

Werner Stechbarth shows two clocks as part of his collection in his living room in Munich, southern Germany, on March 22, 2024. (Photo by Michaela STACHE / AFP) 
 
For every clock, a story

Every clock comes with its own story. Stechbarth recalled how he forgot to take the batteries out of a souvenir he was bringing back from Tunisia.

“I will let you guess what the people at airport security thought when they heard the ticking in my suitcase,” he said with a laugh.

Stechbarth missed his flight but was eventually allowed to return to Munich with his timepiece in tow.

The retiree travels less now but still shops for clocks online or in the local antiques shops.

Werner Stechbarth poses in the middle of his collection of clocks in his living room in Munich, southern Germany, on March 22, 2024.  (Photo by Michaela STACHE / AFP) 

His initial goal to have a clock for every day of the year — a target of 366 for leap years like 2024 — was reached long ago.

Excess items in his collection are kept in the basement.

The collector himself carries a watch on each wrist and another round his neck, but still manages to be late.

“I used to be punctual when I was working. Now if it is six or seven o’clock — it’s all the same to me,” he said.

As the day fades, “I sit in my armchair, turn off the television and listen to the ticking of the clocks.”

After an evening’s entertainment, Stechbarth usually retreats to his bedroom, which he has furnished modestly with two pieces from his collection.

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CULTURE

Barbaras Rhabarberbar: How a German tongue-twister became an unlikely viral hit

A tongue-twisting German rap about rhubarb has become the latest unlikely musical hit to storm the internet, racking up millions of views and inspiring a viral dance routine.

Published: 19 June 2024 09:06 CEST
Barbaras Rhabarberbar: How a German tongue-twister became an unlikely viral hit

The song by musical comedian Bodo Wartke was first posted on YouTube in December 2023, but took off earlier this year thanks to a dance video made by two Australian students.

In May, the track briefly reached number 12 in the TikTok music charts, ahead of US R&B superstar Beyonce.

The charm lies in the song’s tongue-twisting title, “Barbaras Rhabarberbar” (Barbara’s Rhubarb Bar) — a bit like the German equivalent of “She sells sea shells”.

The song tells the story of Barbara, a woman famous for her rhubarb cakes who decides to open a bar in her village.

As the song goes on, Barbara is joined by an ever-growing cast of people whose names add to the tongue-twister — such as barbarians and barbers.

Wartke, 47, teamed up with German content creator Marti Fischer to make the video, the two men taking turns at the microphone to recite the tricky lyrics.

47 million views

Wartke is delighted with the unexpected success of the song, though he admits he doesn’t actually like rhubarb very much, “except when it’s made into a crumble or jam with strawberries”.

“Even in our wildest dreams, we could never have imagined such success,” said Wartke, who has been performing as a cabaret artist in Germany, Austria and Switzerland for 27 years.

“Barbara’s Rhubarb Bar” has racked up more than 47 million views on TikTok and has been translated into several languages.

It has also inspired all manner of copycat dance videos, including underwater, on ice skates and on rollerblades.

Wartke, who performs comic songs on the piano, once wanted to be a German teacher and has a penchant for a linguistic challenge.

He has recorded several other songs based on tongue-twisters, such as “Fischers Fritz fischt frische Fische” (“Fisherman Fritz catches fresh fish”).

“Until now, I always thought I was talking to a German audience. I thought you had to understand the meaning to appreciate it,” said Wartke, who grew up in northern Germany but now lives in Berlin.

“But apparently this kind of alliteration combined with hip-hop has an appeal beyond the meaning of the words,” he said.

READ ALSO: 8 German tongue-twisters to leave your mouth in knots 

Image problem 

Wartke hopes the song will do something positive for the image of the German language around the world.

“Lots of people think that Germans have no sense of humour, don’t know how to have fun and that German is an aggressive language,” he said.

“Now they’re reconsidering their prejudices, which I am delighted about. People write to me saying that our song has made them want to learn our language.”

As if to dispel any last perceptions that Germans are serious and boring, Wartke and Fischer have posted a video of themselves doing the dance, with Wartke wearing a pink suit.

“Dancing is not our speciality at all, we had to do a lot of practising,” he said.

Buoyed by their success, the duo are thinking of taking a Barbara-based comedy routine on tour to non-German-speaking countries.

“The songs would remain in German but we would present them in English,” Wartke said.

There has even been talk of the Eurovision Song Contest — and with Germany having finished in last place in 2022 and 2023, Barbara could only raise the bar.

By Céline LE PRIOUX

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