Clockmaker from Krakowska Gate
All hobbies of Mr. Lutowski
The clock on the Krakowska Gate was placed together with the helmet superstructure above the Gothic gate. Since then, the building has been inhabited by a clockmaker who looked after the mechanism. One of them was supposed to be Mr. Lutowski, who messed up the clock a bit … and maybe still stirs it up.
Sometimes at night, those who pass through the Krakowska Gate may hear strange noises. Tapping, turning the mechanism, and even groans come from the gate clock. Legend has it that it is a ghost that returns for centuries, and to this day plays tricks and twists clock hands to confuse the inhabitants of the city. There was even a poem circulating in Poland referring to the irregularities of time measured in Lublin: “Clocks are often wrong, but those in Lublin are the most reliable liars.” But where did the “wild inhabitant of the Gate” come from?
As the legend says a long time ago, Mr. Lutowski was in charge of the clock. He used to fulfill his duties conscientiously, and treat setting the clock as a hobby. Well, unless he was involved in his second passion, which was drinking booze. It is said that once there was even a nefarious row, during which Mr. Lutowski demolished the clock tower, and thus destroyed the clock mechanism. So the clock hands more often than not indicated the wrong time.
Mr. Lutowski’s life ended soon, and a new clockmaker took his place. However, the situation has not changed significantly. It was said in the city that now it was the spirit of Lutowski who lived in the Gate and maliciously misrepresents the clock hands. Is it just rumours or truth … it is difficult to judge today. However, as they say: “the happy one do not count time.” The residents of Lublin turn a blind eye to the antics of Mr. Lutowski’s spirit, and time in Lublin seems to flow in its own rhythm.
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