Meet A Maker
Arthur Kroeger at age fourteen, 1936. Background image: Kroeger Clock and Motor Works factory, ca. 1910.
In this kindergarten photo, taken c. 1927, in Rosenthal, Arthur is seated on the far left, wearing a sailor-style outfit. Background image: Kroeger clock tower of the Chortitza Zentralschule.
Arthur was raised in the village of Rosenthal, what is now known as Verkhnaya Kortitsa, in Zaporizhzhya, Ukraine. There, he enjoyed playing with his siblings and cousins who lived in the same community.
Arthur Kroeger's father, Peter D. Kroeger (1890–1942), working at a lathe in Rosenthal, 1935. Background photo: Peter D. Kroeger with brother Johann D. Kroeger (1894–1942) in the Kroeger factory, ca 1921.
Arthur would seek out his uncles and father at work in their factory, located not far from his home. He was fascinated by the skills required to make the machinery and the clocks.
One day Arthur asked his uncle Johann, ‘Why do you build clocks?’ His uncle replied, ‘These are for our children.’
Arthur Kroeger's refugee camp identification card, 1949. Background photo: Arthur aboard the Samaria, crossing the Atlantic to Canada, 1949.
History would steer Arthur far from the clockmaking legacy of the Kroegers. Starvation and political oppression caused many people to leave the Russian Empire after it was declared the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) in 1922. Arthur became separated from family members. He was left to defend himself against increasing hostility towards cultural and political difference within the USSR.
In 1949, he left Europe to start a new life in Canada.
Letter giving the Kroeger factory permission to re-open after being shut down by Soviet authorities.
Despite separation from family and legacy, Arthur's interest in clocks never died. In the 1960s it was rekindled, and his life became filled by an ambition to know more about historical Mennonite clocks and their makers. But his interest soon moved beyond the objects themselves: it became a way of reconnecting with his family’s lost heritage and bringing alive the memory of family members themselves.
On his own, in a new country, Arthur revitalised the tradition of Kroeger clockmaking. He conducted first-hand research and consulted with experts and clock owners around the world. He gathered extensive information, and repaired and repainted clocks. Arthur didn’t see himself as a restorer as much as a modern-day Kroeger clockmaker fulfilling a role that, in the New World, was different from that of previous makers.
Arthur Kroeger discussing Mennonite clocks with Polish antique clock collector Paweł Fietkiwicz at the Ethnographic Department of the National Museum in Gdansk, Poland, in May 2006.
Press play to follow a discussion by museum specialists on Arthur Kroeger's approach to restoring Kroeger clocks.
People from around the world contacted Arthur, seeking expertise or wanting to share their clock stories. Though some may have differed on the manner of his restorations, his work has become, and remains, a constructive part of understanding the past, present, and future of tangible heritage.
(Left to right): H. Elizabeth Kroeger, Angelika V. Kroeger and Arthur Kroeger researching Kroeger clocks at the Library of the National Academy in Gdańsk in 2006.
Dedicated enthusiasts and researchers like Arthur Kroeger show us that every individual has skills or knowledge that can perpetuate, safeguard, and strengthen tangible or intangible heritage. One person’s actions can shape a community and have global impact.
The Kroeger Clocks Heritage Foundation works to deepen and expand the legacy to which Arthur contributed.