Zeitpyramide
The Zeitpyramide (lit. 'time pyramid') is a work of public art by Manfred Laber under construction in Wemding, Germany. The pyramid was begun in 1993 – the 1,200-year anniversary of the town. It will take another 1,160 years to complete and is scheduled to be finished in the year 3183. The structure is intended to consist of 120 blocks when complete, with a new block added every ten years.[1] At 15:06 (UTC) on 9 September 2023, the fourth block was installed, making the project 3.3% complete.[2]
| Zeitpyramide | |
|---|---|
 Pyramid after the 4th block was laid in 2023 | |
| Coordinates | 48°53′03″N 10°43′17″E |
| Architect | Manfred Laber (1932–2018) |
| Constructed | Began 1993 |
| Type | Step pyramid |
| Material | Concrete |
| Height | 9.2 metres (30 ft) (when done) |
| Base | 15 metres (49 ft) (concrete pad) |
| Volume | 311 cubic metres (407 cu yd; 10,983 cu ft) (when done) |
| Slope | 43° |
Concept
The town of Wemding dates back to the year 793 and celebrated its 1,200 year anniversary in 1993. The Zeitpyramide was conceived by Manfred Laber (a local artist) in June 1993 to mark this 1,200-year period and to give people a sense of what the span of 1,200 years really means.[1]
One block is scheduled to be placed every ten years, taking 1,190 years. This time includes the initial block placed at the beginning of the project which explains the apparent off-by-one error of ten years. So far, the blocks have all been concrete, but the material of future blocks may be altered in future generations depending on availability of materials.[3]
Artist
Manfred Laber was born in Wemding on 5 May 1932 and studied painting at the Hochschule für Bildende Künste in Berlin in the 1950s. He has other artwork on permanent display on the Isla San Antonio, and in Alcanar, Spain, and Mormoiron, France; Alcanar was also his part-time place of residence.[4] Laber died in Wemding on 17 August 2018, aged 86.
Construction
Current progress
The time pyramid is located on a concrete pad on a rounded hilltop, the Robertshöhe, on the northern edge of Wemding.[5] The first block was placed in October 1993.[1] The 6.5-tonne (6.4-long-ton; 7.2-short-ton) fourth and most recent block was placed at 15:06 on 9 September 2023.[6] Following the construction schedule, the fifth block will be placed in 2033.[7][8]
The project's initial financing was mostly achieved through donations by local companies, which, for example, supplied the materials for the concrete slab for free. The project is administered by a foundation based in Wemding.[9]
Speculative future progress
A model of the final artwork is exhibited at Wemding, at the Haus des Gastes.[1] If the time pyramid project proceeds according to plan, it will fall into four stages based on tier layer.
Base tier
The base layer, measuring 13.8 by 13.8 m (45 by 45 ft), will consist of 64 blocks arranged in 8 rows and 8 columns and has a stage completion date of 2623.
Second tier
The second layer will consist of 36 blocks, in a 6 by 6 format with a stage completion date of 2983. This is the first layer that requires a block to be placed atop another block, which would require a crane or some form of scaffolding such as an earthen ramp used as an incline.
Third tier
The third layer will consist of 16 blocks arranged in a 4 by 4 format with a stage completion date of 3143.
Fourth tier
The final, fourth layer will consist of 4 blocks, arranged in a 2 by 2 format, which upon completion will complete the structure. The completed pyramid will have taken just shy of a decade less to build than Wemding's age at the time that the first block was laid.
Completion
The pyramid, when completed in the year 3183, is scheduled to consist of 120 stone or concrete blocks, each measuring 1.2 m (3.9 ft) long, 1.2 m (3.9 ft) wide and 1.8 m (5.9 ft) tall. Adjacent blocks are separated by gaps of half a block or 0.6 m (2.0 ft).
Construction schedule
| Block number | Date placed | Percentage of blocks placed | Tier | Notes | Image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 23 October 1993 | 0.8% | First tier | The first block placed, and the only block to be placed during the 20th century. |  |
| 2 | 15:58, 6 September 2003 | 1.6% | First tier | The first block to be placed during the 21st century. |  |
| 3 | 16:14, 29 June 2013 | 2.5% | First tier | The last block to be placed before the death of Manfred Laber. |  |
| 4 | 15:06, 9 September 2023 | 3.3% | First tier | The latest block to have been placed, and also the first block where its placement was live-streamed. Also the first block placed after the death of Manfred Laber in 2018. | |
| 5 | 2033 | 4.1% | First tier | The next block scheduled to be placed. | |
| 6 | 2043 | 5% | First tier | ||
| 7 | 2053 | 5.8% | First tier | ||
| 8 | 2063 | 6.7% | First tier | ||
| 9 | 2073 | 7.5% | First tier | ||
| 10 | 2083 | 8.3% | First tier | ||
| 11 | 2093 | 9.1% | First tier | The last block scheduled to be placed during the 21st century. Block 11 also marks 100 years since Block 1 was placed. | |
| ⋮ | |||||
| 64 | 2623 | 53.3% | First tier | The last block scheduled to placed within the first tier. | |
| 65 | 2633 | 54.2% | Second tier | The first block scheduled to be placed within the second tier, and the first block which is assumed to require scaffolding. | |
| ⋮ | |||||
| 100 | 2983 | 83.3% | Second tier | The last block scheduled to placed within the second tier. | |
| ⋮ | |||||
| 116 | 3143 | 96.6% | Third tier | The last block scheduled to be placed within the third tier. | |
| ⋮ | |||||
| 119 | 3173 | 99.1% | Fourth tier | The penultimate block scheduled to be placed. | |
| 120 | 3183 | 100% | Fourth tier | The last block scheduled to be placed during the 32nd century, the last block to be placed within the fourth tier, and also the last block overall scheduled to be placed. Block 120 also marks 1,190 years since Block 1 was placed. | |
References
- Conception Official Zeitpyramide website, accessed: 14 December 2010
- Die Stadt der Zeitpyramide Archived 2011-07-19 at the Wayback Machine (The city of the time pyramid) (in German) Official Wemding website, accessed: 14 December 2010
- Zeitpyramide (in German) Official Zeitpyramide website, accessed: 14 December 2010
- Biographie Manfred Laber (in German) Official Zeitpyramide website, accessed: 14 December 2010
- Ein Wolf an der Wiege und ein Gebäude mit 1200 Jahren Bauzeit (in German) Augsburger Allgemeine, published: 4 September 2010, accessed: 14 December 2010
- Denkmal oder Utopie? Der dritte Dekadenstein auf der Wemdinger Robertshöhe ist gesetzt, Helmut Bissinger
- "Zeitpyramide". Stadt Wemding (in German). Retrieved 2023-05-05.
- Delbert, Caroline (2020-05-29). "Germans Are Building a Time Pyramid Over the Next 1,000 Years". Popular Mechanics. Retrieved 2021-06-12.
- Stiftung Wemdinger Zeitpyramide (in German) Official Zeitpyramide website, accessed: 14 December