Station: [9] Tower Clock and War Memorial

M: Before you head up to the second floor, take a moment to look at Dotzheim village church and its immediate surroundings. For example, the marble plaque beneath the sloping underside of the stairs is from the church. It lists the men from Dotzheim who fought in the Franco-German War of 1870 and ’71 and hung inside the church for decades. Fortunately, Dotzheim’s church survived the major wars of the 20th century undamaged. But during renovation work at the church from 1948 to 1952, the commemorative plaque had to go.

In 1953, the war memorial that had stood right outside the church since 1889 suffered the same fate. The street was being widened, so the extra space was required. Sedan, Wörth, Metz, Paris – the four plaques with the names of French cities – are all that remains of the demolished memorial. They commemorate battles in the Franco-German War in which soldiers from Dotzheim took part.

F: But the highlight of this room is the mechanism in the wooden cabinet under the stairs. It’s the old movement from the church tower clock, made in the mid-19th century and still in working order. You’d just need to wind it up, and the old clock would start ticking again. If you’d like to hear the sound of the old clock coming back to life, simply tap the link on your screen before you go upstairs.

At the top of the stairs, you’ll discover another relic from Dotzheim village church – the top of the spire. As you make your way up there, note all the many photographs and paintings of Dotzheim buildings and street scenes.