Alarm clock

In the attic of the museum, there is a special object, an invention, Konstantin Haidenegg’s alarm clock. Konstantin Haidenegg was the director of the Royal post and telegram in Pakrac at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, and he was mentioned as one of the aldermen in the Representation of the Municipality of Pakrac marketplace.
One funny and lucky circumstance introduced us to this man whom we almost knew nothing about despite him holding an important function that he presumably had for several years in Pakrac. His invention, an alarm clock from 1896, was found in the trash, and we almost missed this exquisite device and this formidable man.
Konstantin Haidenegg’s alarm clock was patented in 1896 in two foreign patent offices, one in Great Britain, and the other in Switzerland. The fact that the clock’s battery was filled with electricity long before some cities in Europe even saw the light of electricity, tells us how much his patented clock was ahead of time. The clock was mechanical, it was started by winding its spring, but to set the alarm for certain needs in the day, week, or month, electric energy from the battery was used to start the bell that was used as an alarm. It is impossible not to admire the entrepreneurship and inventiveness of this inventor from Pakrac who not just created, but also patented his invention abroad in the 19th century.

It is another proof among many that Pakrac was inseparable from Europe at that time, and that it could be compared to even bigger centers of that time with its modern strivings. The sad part is that so many interesting people who made this city special and advanced have simply been forgotten and wiped out. One of the important tasks of the museum is to maintain the memory of people who were an important part of the city and its history, and they need to become part of the memory of the present generations.