German artist Manfred Laber came up with a futuristic way to honor the 793 AD founding of the town of Wemding in the southern German state of Bavaria, which celebrated its 1,200th birthday in 1993. Laber designed a "Time Pyramid" made from concrete blocks, but neither he nor anyone reading this story today will ever see it completed.
That’s because a new block is added to the structure every 10 years -- the fourth is expected to be placed in 2023 -- making the completion celebration penciled in for the year 3183.
Wondering about Wemding?
- Each block is a rectangular prism of concrete with a base of about 4 feet by 4 feet (1.2 m by 1.2 m) and a height of about 6 feet (1.8 m). Each block weighs more than six tons, and some blocks will be stacked on other blocks to achieve Laber’s design vision.
- Whether future generations will feel the need to complete the project, or whether the blocks will weather the elements for more than a thousand years is a question for future Wemding residents.
- Wemding’s town square dates back to the 17th and 18th centuries, and around half of the timber buildings there, typical of the quintessential Bavarian style, are thought to have existed back in the 15th century.
