Most people have never heard of Wemding. It is a small municipality in the Swabia region, located on the banks of the Danube River in the German state of Bavaria. Its beautiful medieval old town is its main tourist attraction, along with the Altmühltal Nature Park and the neighboring astrobleme (a crater caused by a meteorite impact) where the city of Nördlingen is situated.

Since 1993, there has been a third point of interest, this time an artistic-monumental one, drawing visitors: the ZeitPyramide, or Time Pyramid, conceived to celebrate the town’s 1,200th anniversary. A block is added every decade, meaning that it won’t be finished until the year 3183.

To understand this unusual project, we have to go back to the Early Middle Ages, specifically to 793, when Wemding was founded. At that time, it was called Uuemodinga, or at least that is how it appears in a donation letter from Count Helmoin to the Bishop of Freising, granting him land in Gosheim that he had received from Charlemagne.

Time Pyramid Germany
The Marktplatz of Wemding. Credit: Franzfoto / Wikimedia Commons

It consisted of four farms and a forest where a monastery was established, dependent on the Benedictine Abbey of Sankt Emmeram in Regensburg. The monastery maintained control over the land for the following centuries until 1467, when it passed into the hands of Duke Ludwig I Wittelsbacher.

This nobleman, five years later, founded the University of Ingolstadt and granted the young people of Wemding the right to study there, as the town had prospered greatly, and the socio-economic status of its population was high. Then came difficult times: the introduction of Protestantism, religious wars, witch hunts, the demographic toll of World War I, and the destruction caused by World War II. It was not until the second half of the 20th century that reindustrialization began, leading to economic recovery and adaptation to modern times.

Thus, in 1993, the town celebrated its 1,200th anniversary. As part of the festivities, local artist Manfred Laber was commissioned to create a work that would commemorate the event and raise awareness among the locals of the time that had passed since those early medieval days.

Time Pyramid Germany
Another view of the current state of the Time Pyramid. Credit: MageOfTheEast / Wikimedia Commons

Laber, born in 1932, studied painting at the Hochschule Für Bildende Künste (Academy of Fine Arts) in Berlin. Starting in the 1950s, he exhibited his work in Germany, France, and especially Spain, where he lived for much of his life (specifically in the town of Alcanar, Tarragona).

Laber’s idea was a pyramid that would be built little by little over twelve centuries, establishing a parallel with the time Wemding had existed, so that people would grasp the enormity of that time span. To achieve this, he selected a hill in the northern area, the Robertshöhe, where he placed a concrete platform and set the first of the 120 rectangular blocks that will make up the structure once it is completed—if it ever is, given that 1,190 years remain.

So far, only four blocks have been placed since 1993, the most recent one in 2023; meaning that the next will be added in 2033. The first stage, which is just beginning, consists of the base layer, measuring 13.8 meters (45.3 feet) in length and width, made up of 64 blocks arranged in eight rows and eight columns.

Time Pyramid Germany
A three-dimensional scale model showing the four blocks already placed. Credit: Cmglee / Wikimedia Commons

This base layer will be completed in 2623, making way for the second stage, consisting of 36 blocks arranged in six rows and six columns. This stage will be more complex since it will require scaffolding, a crane, or an earthen ramp for placement. The estimated completion date for this phase is 2983.

The third stage will consist of 16 blocks arranged in four rows and four columns, expected to be in place by 3143. The fourth and final stage, consisting of four blocks arranged in two rows and two columns, will complete the structure in the year 3183. In total, there will be 120 blocks, each measuring 1.2 meters (3.9 feet) wide, 1.2 meters deep, and 1.8 meters (5.9 feet) high, with a 60-centimeter (2-foot) gap between them. This will result in a pyramid measuring 13.8 meters (45.3 feet) on each side and 7.2 meters (23.6 feet) in height—or maybe not, if a proposed modification is implemented.

In 2024, Australian mathematician and renowned science communicator Mathew Thomas Parker pointed out an unnoticed error in the ZeitPyramide project, known as the post error. This is the same issue that arose at the end of 1999, when a debate emerged about whether the new millennium began in 2000 or if we had to wait until 2001.

Time Pyramid Germany
The Time Pyramid in December 2019, with only three blocks. Credit: Calistemon / Wikimedia Commons

The correct answer is the latter, since there is no year zero, and the same mistake was made in Wemding: placing the first block in 1993 instead of waiting until the first decade had passed. This means that the pyramid will be completed in 3183, which totals 1,190 years instead of 1,200.

Parker proposed adding an extra block to align with the intended chronology, though this would alter the monument’s appearance, increasing its height to 19.8 meters (65 feet) and making it lose its pyramidal shape. Laber passed away in Wemding in 2018 at the age of 86, so the decision will fall to the local authorities and the foundation managing the project. The change would also affect the budget—the ZeitPyramide is funded by donations from local businesses—though future generations are expected to have the option to modify the plan.

The only remaining question is whether this contemporary pyramid will withstand the test of time like others have, such as the Egyptian and Mesoamerican pyramids. The key difference lies in the materials used; the ancient pyramids were built from limestone, granite, or volcanic stone, depending on the region, which has allowed some to endure for four and a half millennia. In contrast, the German pyramid will be made of concrete, which typically doesn’t last beyond a century—though with proper maintenance and waterproofing, its longevity could be extended. We won’t be here to see it.

This article was first published on our Spanish Edition on February 11, 2025: La Pirámide del Tiempo, el monumento que no se terminará hasta el año 3183

SOURCES

Wemdinger ZeitPyramide (Web oficial)

Wemding, … die Stadt der Zeitpyramide…

Christoph Bartneck, Zeitpyramide: When Maths and Art Disagree

Wikipedia, Pirámide del tiempo

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