Global faces
In pre-digital days, public clock towers provided the framework for people's daily lives, with chiming bells in towns all over the world telling residents the hour. These beautiful works of architecture and engineering also often signalled the exact centre of their town, casting their shadow over important government buildings and city markets. Though people today are more likely to look down at their cell phones to get the time than to look up at a large public clock, clock towers still play an important role in the city landscape.
Some clock towers are known for their history, others for their design, and some have simply become tourist spectacles. These clocks might not be important for telling time anymore, but they are worth a spot on any sightseer’s itinerary. (Text: Josh Lew)
1. Rathaus Glockenspiel, Munich
By far the world's most extravagant clock, this tower on Munich's Marienzplatz features a clock face, 43 bells and more than 30 full-sized mechanical figures. The figures act out scenes from German history and mythology, including a royal wedding, a jousting tournament and a German myth that explains how people danced in the streets to fend off the black plague. These scenes, acted out on several tiers below the clock face, make up a mechanical play that lasts for more than a quarter of an hour. Built in the early 20th century, the Rathaus Glockenspiel's main purpose has always been to amuse people rather than to tell time. The mechanical figures appear at 11 a.m. every day, with additional shows in the summertime at noon and 5 p.m.
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2. Big Ben, London
Renamed Elizabeth Tower in honour or the Queen of England's Diamond Jubilee, the most well-known of all clock towers is still generally referred to by its long-standing nickname, Big Ben. The granite tower, the classical Roman-numeral clock face, and the giant bell were unveiled in 1859. Originally, it was the bell that carried the nickname Big Ben because of its impressive size and the volume with which it rang out the hours. Today, most people think of the entire structure as Big Ben. Anyone can see the exterior of the famous tower, but only UK residents can visit the interior of the bell tower (as part of a tour of the connecting parliament buildings).
3. Zytglogge, Bern, Switzerland
Bern, Switzerland's unique astronomical clock became a town fixture when it was added to a medieval-era tower in the 1500s. The Zytglogge's most impressive feature is its 3,000-pound bronze bell, and also has two main clock faces and a smaller astronomical clock that tells the day of the week, time of day, date, lunar phases and even the current zodiac sign. The tower was once a jail and visitors can still pass through a small gate that was used in medieval times to allow people to enter the walled section of the city. It's all part of Bern's Old City, which has been designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
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4. Abraj Al-Bait Towers, Mecca, Saudi Arabia
Located in the city of Mecca, this clock is very new compared to the others on this list. Completed in 2012, Abraj Al-Bait holds two records: the world's tallest clock tower (over 1,900 feet) and the world's largest clock face (each of the four faces has a diameter of 151 feet). Each face is illuminated with LED lighting. Under the clock there is a large observation deck where people can see panoramic views of this famous Arabian city, including the Grand Mosque, one of Islam's most sacred sites.
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5. Kremlin Chimes on Spasskaya Tower, Moscow
Usually referred to as the Kremlin Chimes because of its distinctive-sounding bells, this clock sits on a tower that was constructed in the late 1400s. It was added to the 10-story red-brick structure in the 17th century and was updated about 200 years later. The whole of Spasskaya, with the unmistakable architecture of the Kremlin behind it, can be seen from the famous Red Square. The tower's spire is topped by a five-pointed star that is always illuminated and that moves with the wind like a weather vane.
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6. Rajabai Tower, Mumbai, India
The 280-foot Rajabai Clock Tower sits on the campus of Mumbai University. Built in the mid-19th century, it was modelled after London's Big Ben. The clock was built with the help of a powerful businessman, Premchand Roychand, who was also credited with founding the Bombay Stock Exchange. The story is that Roychand financed the clock so that his blind mother, the timepiece’s namesake, Rajabai, could tell the time using the clock's bells.
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7. Mannleinlaufen, Frauenkirche, Nuremberg
This clock sits on the spire of the Gothic-style Frauenkirche church in the German city of Nuremberg. The timepiece itself displays the hour and also shows the current lunar cycle. Each day at noon, seven electors or "running men" (hence the name "Männleinlaufen") march around a statue of the emperor Karl IV, also known as Charles IV, who once led the Holy Roman Empire. The scene recalls the so-called Golden Bull, the 14th-century constitution for the Holy Roman Empire.
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8. Philadelphia City Hall Clock
Philadelphia's City Hall is almost 550 feet tall, if you count the 37-foot statue of William Penn that stands on the top of its spire. Built with marble, limestone and granite, it is one of the tallest remaining masonry buildings in the world. The City Hall clock itself has four faces, each of which measures 26 feet in diameter. Visitors can climb to an observation area above the clock, at the foot of the William Penn statue.
9. Old Town Hall Tower, Prague
This unique tower, which has a standard clock face at its top and an astronomical clock closer to street level, was built in the 14th century. It was a mechanical marvel of its time, with the astronomical clock displaying the date, seasons and other information with remarkable accuracy. Every hour, a mechanical procession of figures make their way out of a door above the astronomical clock face. The clock is easy to locate, especially for tourists, since the Old Town Hall houses the city's tourist information office. After the mechanical show, visitors can step inside the building to plan sightseeing expeditions or take a guided tour of the interior of this historic building.
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10. Palace of Culture and Science Clock, Warsaw
One of the world's tallest clock towers, this Polish clock sits on top of the 750-foot building. The hands are nearly 20 feet long, making it possible to tell the time from a great distance. Actually, the clock was added in 2000, much later than the communist-era building, which was finished in the late 1950s. Until Tokyo's NTT DoCoMo Yoyogi Building and the Abraj Al-Bait clock tower were built, this was the tallest clock tower in the world. The building remains the most prominent part of the Warsaw skyline. Though it was originally named for Joseph Stalin, the name was changed and Stalin's statues and communist artwork were removed during Poland's transition to democracy.
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