author
Fintan Kindler
1863–1942
A Benedictine monk with a scientist’s curiosity, he wrote clear, lively books about how people measure the world around them. His best-known work traces the long story of clocks and timekeeping from early devices to modern precision.
1 Audiobook
Die Uhren: Ein Abriß der Geschichte der Zeitmessung
by Fintan Kindler
About the author
Born in Ippingen, Baden, in 1863, he became a Benedictine at Einsiedeln Abbey and later took the religious name Fintan. Available source material identifies him as a monk of Stift Einsiedeln, with profession in 1888 and ordination as a priest in 1893.
He taught mathematics and chemistry in the 1890s, then chemistry for many years, and physics from 1896 onward. From 1927, he also served as the abbey library’s librarian. The brief biographical notes attached to later editions of his work describe him as a writer on scientific subjects including time measurement, weather, and chemistry.
He is best remembered for Die Uhren: Ein Abriß der Geschichte der Zeitmessung, a compact history of clocks and timekeeping. Written in an accessible way, it reflects both his scientific background and his interest in explaining technical ideas to general readers.