The permanent exhibition in The Museum of Czech karst will offers an interesting view on famous craftsmen from Beroun.

There are not many sundial makers in our history, who would be known far beyond Beroun (Czech Republic) as Johann and Anton Engelbrecht.

Their vertical sundials could be found on the walls of monasteries, castles and houses. Examles of horizontal, inclinable or analematic sundial are placed in collections all over Europe. For a long time, researchers are charmed by their precision instruments.  It is strange they belong to the forgotten figures in Beroun. As well, they are not mentioned in the permanent exhibition of town museum yet.

There is a potters guild presented mostly in exhibition “From the history of Trades in the Town of Beroun”. The activity of clockmakers is only remind by one piece of mantel clock there.

The space in the new exhibition will present the family of Engelbrecht with its remarkable history and variations of sundials types, which can be found in Europe.

New exhibition will focus on

• actual knowledge about Engelbrechts and their timekeepers
• the bracket clock from the collection of The Museum of Czech karst and an examples of sundials
• the last surviving manual created by Johann Engelbrecht
• the educational activities for kids and ordinary visitors

Engelbrecht family history can be traced from the last quarter of the 18th century. Between the Seven Years’ War (1756 – 1763) and the War of the Bavarian Succession (1777 – 1779) the military regiment of the Count Carl Callenberg was located in Beroun. Engelbrecht had been the oboist in this regiment. He left in 1773.

Later he met Josef Stepling (1716 – 1778), the director of the observatory in Klementinum, and his co-worker Antonin Strnad (1747 – 1799). He started to cooperate with them. They probably helped him with the dial faces and the astronomical measurements. Josef  Stepling also gives Engelbrecht the certificate for the production of various sundials. The certificate can be found in the only one surviving Engelbrecht´s manual dated 28th September 1776.

After the death of J. Engelbrecht (1807) his oldest son Anton (1780-1831) continued to lead clocks workshop. His son continued in the creation of sundial by the templates of his father. Between 1808 – 1814 he moved to Melnik, where he died in 1831.

Exhibition of  the Beroun Trades – current view