Zegar, bohater legendy miejskiej

Abstract

Jakub Kazimierz Haur in his encyclopedia Skład abo Skarbiec znakomitych sekretów oekonomiej ziemiańskiej (Kraków 1689) in the chapter devoted to chronometers quoted an anecdote about the 15th-century astronomical clock in St Mary’s Church in Gdańsk. The anecdote bears the traits of a recurring motif, which appears in various places and times. It is a kind of urban legend, being a verbal folklore genre, which has so far been considered only in relation to modern times. The clock became its hero due to the important role it played in the city space.

Keywords

• astronomical clock
• Jakub Kazimierz Haur
• urban legend
• old Polish literature