| Zeitpyramide | |
|---|---|
 Sunset at the four-block Zeitpyramide, 2023. Around 434,600 sunsets are to take place at the site between the laying of the first and last block. | |
 Interactive map of Zeitpyramide | |
| Coordinates | 48°53′03″N 10°43′17″E / 48.88417°N 10.72139°E |
| Architect | Manfred Laber (1932–2018) |
| Constructed | Began 23 October 1993 Finishes 3183 |
| 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° |
The Zeitpyramide (lit. 'time pyramid') is a work of public art by Manfred Laber under construction in Wemding, Germany. The pyramid began in 1993, the year of the town's 1,200th anniversary. With a new block added every ten years, the structure is planned to consist of 120 blocks when complete after 1,190 years, in the year 3183.[1]
Concept
The town of Wemding dates back to the year AD 793 (during the reign of Charlemagne as King of the Franks) and celebrated its 1,200th 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.[2] 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]
The artwork is intended to take its own path without the artist, directed by the community, and will "make time itself more concrete, more tangible".[4]
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 in Mormoiron, France, San Antonio Island, and Alcanar, Spain, his part-time residence.[5] He died in Wemding on 17 August 2018, aged 86.
Construction
The time pyramid is located on a concrete pad on a rounded hilltop, the Robertshöhe, on the northern edge of Wemding.[6] 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.[7] Following the construction schedule, the fifth block will be placed in 2033.[8][9]
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.[10]
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:
- 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.
- 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, although, by at least 2023, placement was already using a crane.[2]
- The third layer will consist of 16 blocks arranged in a 4-by-4 format with a stage completion date of 3143.
- The final, fourth layer will consist of 4 blocks, arranged in a 2-by-2 format, which upon installation will complete the structure.
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).
Longevity
Unlike ancient human structures such as the Great Pyramid of Giza—which is made from limestone, mortar, and granite, and which has lasted more than 4,500 years—the lifespan of reinforced concrete and regular blocks of concrete is typically only 50–100 years.[11][12][13] However, concrete blocks can last indefinitely when properly maintained or weatherproofed.[14]
Off-by-one error
According to YouTuber Matt Parker,[15] the Zeitpyramide has a mathematical issue known as the "Fencepost error". For a picket fence of n elements, n + 1 posts are required. The error arises because the project started with the placement of the first block in 1993, rather than waiting for the first decade to pass. This means the pyramid will be completed in 3183, which is only 1,190 years from the start date, not 1,200 as was promised. Parker pointed out this error during his visit to the placement of the fourth block in 2023. He also proposed an alternative design that would take 121 blocks to complete, which is not a pyramid, and would be 19.8 m (65 ft) tall.[16]
Construction schedule
| Block number | Date placed | Tier | Notes | Image |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| N/a | between July 1993 and 23 October 1993 | N/a | Laying of the concrete pad foundation for the blocks. Local donors supplied the materials for free. | |
| 1 | 23 October 1993 | First tier | The first block placed. | |
| 2 | 6 September 2003 | First tier | ||
| 3 | 29 June 2013 | First tier | The last block to be placed before the death of the artist Laber. | 
|
| 4 | 9 September 2023 | First tier | The latest block to have been placed, and also the first block whose placement was live-streamed. The first block placed after the death of Manfred Laber in 2018. | 
|
| 5 | 2033 | First tier | The next block is scheduled to be placed. | |
| 6 | 2043 | First tier | ||
| 7 | 2053 | First tier | ||
| 8 | 2063 | First tier | The last block to be placed on the first row. | |
| ⋮ | ||||
| 64 | 2623 | First tier | The first tier is scheduled for completion. | |
| 65 | 2633 | 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 | Second tier | The second tier will be completed near the end of the 3rd millennium AD. | |
| ⋮ | ||||
| 116 | 3143 | Third tier | The third tier is scheduled for completion. | |
| ⋮ | ||||
| 120 | 3183 | Fourth tier | The last block is scheduled to be placed, 1,190 years after the first, and 2,390 years after the town's foundation. |
|
See also
- 7000 Oaks – City Forestation Instead of City Administration by Joseph Beuys, consisting of 7000 trees and basalt stone pillars planted over the course of five years.[17]
- Longplayer by Jem Finer, which began playing on 31 December 1999, and will continue to play without repetition until 2999.[18]
- Organ²/ASLSP As Slow as Possible by John Cage, playing nonstop since September 2001 and due to finish 2640.[19]
References
- ^ a b c d Conception Official Zeitpyramide website, accessed: 14 December 2010
- ^ a b The 1,200 Year Maths Mistake, retrieved 2024-03-06
- ^ Zeitpyramide (in German) Official Zeitpyramide website, accessed: 14 December 2010
- ^ Fisher, Richard (2023-09-14). "Until 3183 A.D., This Public Sculpture Is a Work in Progress". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-02-16.
- ^ Biographie Manfred Laber (in German) Official Zeitpyramide website, accessed: 14 December 2010
- ^ Ein Wolf an der Wiege und ein Gebäude mit 1200 Jahren Bauzeit Archived 2021-10-11 at the Wayback Machine (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
- ^ "The problem with reinforced concrete". UNSW Sites. Retrieved 2024-03-06.
- ^ Arkin, Daniel (2022-11-23). "How Long Does Concrete Last? The Truth About Precast Concrete". Premier Precast. Retrieved 2024-03-06.
- ^ webdev (2019-09-01). "Extend concrete life with weatherproofing solutions". Canadian Concrete Expo. Retrieved 2024-03-06.
- ^ Van, Matt (September 3, 2013). "REPAIRING CONCRETE STRUCTURES". Archived from the original on May 30, 2024. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
- ^ Stand-up Maths (2024-02-22). The 1,200 Year Maths Mistake. Retrieved 2024-09-13 – via YouTube.
- ^ Bartneck, Christoph (2024-03-06). "Zeitpyramide: When Maths and Art Disagree". Christoph Bartneck, Ph.D. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
- ^ "Shaping society like a sculpture". Goethe-Institut. Retrieved 2025-02-16.
- ^ "Longplayer". Trinity Buoy Wharf. Retrieved 2025-02-16.
- ^ Oltermann, Philip (2024-02-04). "'There's a certain madness to it' … fans await new chord in John Cage gig with 616 years left to run". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 2025-02-16.
External links
- Official website (in German)
