The largest tower clock. Zodiac clock at Kazansky railway station. Tower in Mumbai, India

Clock towers often become the main attractions of the city, and sometimes symbols. Today, tower clocks perform more of an aesthetic function, but until the middle of the last century, they were a vital urban structure. Below are the most beautiful clock towers in the world.

Big Ben, London, England

Let's put everything in its place: Big Ben is the largest of the six bells in the Palace of Westminster, but this name is most often erroneously attributed to the Clock Tower. The tower, which is known to the entire population, was built in 1859, and until 2012 it was officially called the "Westminster Clock Tower" or the Tower of St. Stephen. However, for the anniversary year of the reign of Elizabeth II, the tower was renamed the Elizabeth Tower. By the way, once there was a prison in this tower, however, a brave English suffragette became its only prisoner in the whole history.

Rajabai clock tower, Mumbai, India

Tower in Venetian and gothic style with remarkable masonry was at the time of construction the tallest building in the city. Of course, the tower is admirable, and, by the way, it is surprisingly similar to Big Ben (oh yes, the Elizabeth Tower). Not surprisingly, the tower was designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott, an English architect who also worked on the drawings of Big Ben. Currently, the tower's chimes play the same tune every 15 minutes.

Clock tower of the Old Town Hall, Prague, Czech Republic

This tower houses one of the oldest astronomical clock in Europe. The movements of the mechanical figures and the complex design of the clock have always attracted a crowd walking on the Old Town Square, where the town hall is located. The clock on the tower was installed in 1410, and it still shows, in addition to time, the phases of the moon, the days of the equinox, the position of the Sun in the zodiac, and even Christian holidays.

Zytglogge clock tower, Bern, Switzerland

This tower with astronomical clock maybe a little less noble and unusual, but also quite photogenic, moreover, one of the oldest in the country. Built between the beginning of the 13th century, the tower is located in the old part of the city, which is an object world heritage UNESCO.

Jam Gadang Clock Tower, Bukittinggi, Indonesia

26-meter white clock tower in the far Asian country bears the subtle features of local architectural styles. The name of the building literally translates as "Big Clock", and the building itself is an important milestone in the history of the city of Bukittinggi, in West Sumatra. The tower in the city center was built in 1926 during the Dutch colonial era, as a gift from the queen of the city administration. The top originally featured a figure of a rooster, but this was removed during the Japanese occupation and replaced with a structure similar to the traditional rooftops of the Minangkabau people who inhabit the city.

Clock tower of Sultan Abdul Samad building, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

The 43-meter tower is attached to magnificent palace Sultan, ruling Selangor at the time of the start of construction, in 1897 for the anniversary of Queen Victoria. The facade and domes of the palace are specifically Islamic, but the clock tower is very similar in structure to those in, say, Great Britain (with the exception of the domed golden crown). Every year on August 31, the clock on the tower strikes at midnight - in honor of Malaysia's independence day, which the country received on this day in 1957.

Khan Al-Umdan Clock Tower, Akko, Israel

Khan Al-Umdan, also known as Khan-i-Awamid, is the largest and best-preserved caravanserai in Israel. The building was erected in 1784, but the clock tower was added only in 1906, next to the main entrance to the palace: the tower was added in honor of the anniversary of the reign of Sultan Abd al-Hamid II.

Clock tower of Abdul Hamid II, Beirut, Lebanon

The tower was erected in 1897 near the Grand Serail (Government Palace) in honor of the anniversary of the coronation of Sultan Abdul Hamid II, as well as in order to call local Muslims to daily prayers. This tower looks very western.

Abraj al-Bayt clock tower, Mecca, Saudi Arabia

The tallest of the skyscrapers in the Abraj al-Beit complex is the Makkah Royal Clock Tower Hotel. Actually, at the moment it is tallest building in the country and the third tallest in the world after the Burj Khalifa and the tower in Shanghai. The height of the tower is as much as 601 meters, and the dial of the tower clock is the largest in the world. In addition to the hotel, this tower houses the Museum of Islam and the Lunar Observatory.

Clock tower of Metz station, Metz, France

The architecture of the station building of the beginning of the last century resembles an old church, and the attached 40-meter clock tower (they say it was designed by Kaiser Wilhelm himself) is famous for its statue of the stern knight Roland, standing on the defense of the town.

Clock tower of Munich Town Hall, Munich, Germany

The Gothic tower was erected in 1908. The mechanical figurines of the surprisingly pretty clock are scenes from the history of the 16th century. The "show" lasts about 12-15 minutes, and at the end a small golden cockerel chirps three times, thus marking the end of the performance.

Not so long ago wrist watch have lost their importance to us. But a couple of hundred years ago, it was they who replaced the tower clock in importance, making them just a decoration of cities. However, the clock towers, like many years ago, attract our attention, as they are the symbolic heart of the city.

Zytglogge - European old woman

Zytglogge, Bern, Switzerland
This medieval building is one of the most famous clock towers in Europe. Built at the beginning of the 13th century fortification, she for her long history had time to stay and a prison, until she became the city's keeper of time. The tower is decorated with moving mechanical figures and astrolabes.

Rajabai Tower in India - a watch as a gift to mom

Old Joe is the tallest singles champion

Peace Tower - eternal memory of the dead

Big Ben is the most famous in the world

The Royal Tower of Abraj al-Beit is the tallest in the world.

Spasskaya Tower - the main clock of our country

The Leaning Tower of Pisa is, of course, the most famous leaning tower in the world. Thanks to a mistake by the builders, this graceful but quite ordinary bell tower of the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta has gained worldwide fame. However, not everyone knows that the Leaning Tower of Pisa is far from unique phenomenon in architecture. In Europe alone, there are several dozen so-called "falling" towers, and around the world there are more than a hundred of them.

Most often, the towers begin to deviate from the vertical axis, due to too soft soil, which unevenly settles under the weight of the structure. The second reason, often directly related to the first, is the human factor, in particular, miscalculations made during the design or already in the construction process.
Due to the peculiarities of the soil, Italy, Germany and the Netherlands are confidently leading in the number of falling towers in the Old World, but similar sights are also found in others. European countries. About the most interesting leaning towers of Old Europe and will be discussed In this article.

ITALY

Venetian towers

In Italy, there are quite a few a large number of falling towers, especially in Venice. Today the guests of this beautiful city have the opportunity to see as many as four towers that have a serious deviation from the vertical, although there were five of them 120 years ago.

, or the bell tower of the Cathedral of San Marco, was built in the XII century and had a height of 99 m. For several centuries, it served as a beacon for sailors, and its five bells informed the townspeople of the exact time and announced the beginning of public executions.
In the 18th century, during a thunderstorm, lightning struck the tower and a menacing crack formed on the facade. Campanilla squinted slightly, but held her ground. Due to the constant threat of its collapse, the authorities of Venice were even forced to issue a decree prohibiting noisy festive festivities in St. Mark's Square. Taken measures did not help and in 1902 the tower suddenly collapsed. Surprisingly, the collapse of such a massive structure did not cause any casualties, moreover, even nearby buildings were not damaged. After 10 years, the tower was restored and now stands exactly. Today it is considered one of the main attractions of Venice, and anyone can climb it. observation deck to admire magnificent city bird's-eye.

A similar story happened with bell tower of the Cathedral of Santo Stefano. In 1585, lightning also struck the 66-meter tower, destroying its upper section. True, there was some damage here, falling debris seriously damaged neighboring buildings, and the bells melted from the high temperature. The tower was repaired over the next two centuries, but as a result of the incompetence of the builders, even in the process of restoration, it began to sag and lean. At the beginning of the 20th century, measures were taken to strengthen its foundation. They did not bring tangible results, and the tower is still considered a dangerous object.

The rest of the falling towers of Venice escaped destruction, however, some of them only by a miracle. So, tower of Saint Martin's church on the Venetian island of Burano, it would have long since shared the fate of Campanilla, but it was prevented by the wall of a nearby building, on which it still relies.

Another dangerously rickety building in Venice is considered Tower of the Basilica of San Pietro di Castello, which received a significant deviation from the vertical axis as a result of frequent floods.

And finally, the last leaning tower of Venice belongs to a small Orthodox Churches of San Giorgio dei Grechi. Unlike the others, it stands quite firmly on its foundations, is not considered dangerous for tourists and even serves as a reliable guide for those who get lost in the labyrinth of narrow Venetian streets and canals.

The swinging towers in Bologna

The fashion for the construction of high towers originated in Italy during the Middle Ages, this allowed noble families to have impressive and also well-fortified housing. The inhabitants of Bologna were especially fond of such construction; by the 13th century, there were more than a hundred towers in the city.
Two of them, located in the very heart of the city, have earned themselves worldwide fame not because of their beauty and grace, but again because of the banal mistake of the builders. Both of them have a significant, clearly visible to the naked eye, deviation from the vertical axis. The 97-meter Asinelli Tower is tilted at 1.2 m, and its younger sister, the 48-meter Garisenda, has an even greater slope of 3 meters.
After these structures were no longer considered residential, a prison worked in the Asinelli tower for several centuries, and in the 18th century, the scientist Giovanni Guglielmo studied the properties of gravity here. In the 20th century, the tower was used as an observation tower and even as a television antenna. Today, these two towers are considered the symbol of Bologna, and, according to experts, sudden destruction does not threaten them.

GERMANY

The Guinness record for the largest deviation from the axis (5.19 degrees at a height of 24.7 m) belongs to the bell tower of the church in the town of Zuurhusen, which is located near the city of Emden in Germany. The church itself was built in the 13th century, and the bell tower was added to it only two and a half centuries later. The tower was built on a wooden foundation and, of course, over time, the wood began to deteriorate and the tower began to lean. In 1975, the entrance to the bell tower was closed due to real threat its collapse, then urgent measures began to be taken to strengthen the foundation. The building has been stabilized, but the church is now collecting donations for further repairs.

Church in Bad Frankenhausen-Kyffhäuser

The Late Gothic Upper Church in the German town of Bad Frankenhausen-Kyffhäuser is now in a state of neglect. But a beautiful spire still continues to rise above the roofs of the houses, having a deviation from the vertical axis by 4.45 m, which is more than leaning tower of pisa. Let's hope that the church will eventually be restored, and its falling tower will not be allowed to fall at all. The townspeople are already raising funds for large-scale restoration work, especially since there is a healing mineral spring under the church.

Metzgerturm tower in Ulm

It is also called the "leaning tower of Ulm". Previously, the tower was part of the fortress wall of the city and played the role of a gate. It was built of brick in 1345. With a height of 36 m, the angle of deviation of the tower from the axis is about two meters. The tilt angle is now 3.3 degrees.
There is an interesting urban legend about the reason for the tilt of the tower. Once in Ulm there was a lean year, and in order not to suffer losses, local butchers began to add sawdust to their products. The price of low-quality meat products remained the same as in former times. Having found out about this, the townspeople started a riot, and the frightened butchers locked themselves from the angry townspeople in the gate tower. Then the inhabitants of Ulm turned to the burgomaster with a demand to severely punish the swindlers. And so, at the moment when the judicial representative entered the tower to announce the verdict to the butchers, fat merchants crowded in fear in one of the corners of the tower. The solid structure could not bear the weight of the well-fed burghers and leaned over. Since then, this tower has been called the "butcher's tower".

NETHERLANDS

The swampy soil of the Netherlands has always been a big problem for builders, and not all of them managed to cope with their task with honor.

In the 16th century, residents of the small Dutch town of Leewarden decided to build big church With high tower, which would overshadow the bell tower of St. Martin's Church in neighboring city Groningen. However, the ambitious plans of the provincials were not destined to come true. From the very beginning of the construction of the new church, something went wrong and the building began to tilt menacingly. The work was frozen, and soon, due to the threat of collapse, the already almost rebuilt cathedral was dismantled, leaving only its tilted tower as a warning to posterity. The clock and two bells remained on the tower, today it is considered the main attraction of Leerwarden.

Old church in Delft

beautiful clock tower old church in the Dutch city of Delft deviates from the vertical axis by almost 3 meters. It is said that the masonry could not bear the weight of the huge bell and still continues to heel under its weight.
The cathedral itself is considered one of the main attractions of the city. The famous Dutch artist Jan Vermeer and the natural scientist Leeuwenhoek are buried in it.

Another similar attraction is located in the town of Bedum. The tower of the church of St. Walfrid is tilted more than 2.5 meters from the vertical. If this tower were equal in height to the Leaning Tower of Pisa, then its deviation would be 6 cm, which is two centimeters more than that of the famous Italian.

UK AND IRELAND

Finally, another region of Europe where falling towers are found in abundance is the British Isles.

Church of Our Lady and All Saints in Chesterfield

The Church of Our Lady in Chesterfield boasts one of the most unusual spiers in the history of world architecture. However, its unusual shape cannot serve as evidence of the genius of the creator, rather, on the contrary, it is a vivid illustration of his unprofessionalism. The temple was built at a time when Europe was just coming to life after a terrible plague. The construction site lacked not only specialists, but even ordinary workers. As a result of incorrect calculations and the use of poor wood, the frame of the spire could not withstand the weight of the roof and was significantly deformed. Now it is not only deviated by 3 meters from the vertical, but also twisted in a spiral by 45 degrees.

Caerphilly Castle in Wales

The ancient Caerphilly Castle was built in the second half of the 13th century. and built, indeed, for centuries. During its long history, it has survived many wars and sieges. But the most tragic for the castle was the siege during civil war XVII century. Cromwell ordered not only to capture the castle, but to completely wipe it off the face of the earth. The besiegers decided on sabotage, and under the walls ancient castle explosives were planted. The resulting explosion was terrible, but its only result was a serious tilt of one of the towers of the fortress. For several centuries now, its slope has been 3 m at overall height 20 m - a frightening degree. But the tower is still standing, and the fact that it has not yet collapsed once again testifies to the highest skill of the builders of the castle, who managed to build a really solid and impregnable structure.

The exact purpose of hundreds of strange round towers in Ireland is still unknown. They were erected in the XI-XIII centuries, most often near religious buildings - churches or monasteries. The highest of them is the 34-meter tower of the monastery of Kilmacdoo in County Galway. This tower stands out among others not only in height, but also in a very noticeable deviation from the vertical axis. Despite the slope, the tower looks like it was built just yesterday. It looks especially impressive against the backdrop of the monastery itself, which has been in ruins for many centuries. According to experts, further collapse of the tower does not threaten.

Surprisingly, the well-known Big Ben can also be attributed to the number of falling towers. Its deviation from the vertical axis is about 0.3 degrees or 43 cm. At first glance, it is negligible, but the concern is that the slope is gradually increasing. The alleged culprits of this circumstance are called active underground work and the activity of the London Underground. It is known that the list appeared quite recently, between November 2002 and August 2003. True, until the time when the slope main tower England will become visible to the naked eye for many more years. According to experts, this can happen only after 4 thousand years.

Speaking of time, we cannot fail to note the role played by the tower's clock. The clock tower attracts simply huge crowds of people and is an iconic landmark in many cities. Take, for example, the face of Chicago, the Wrigley Building, at the time the official figures for how many visits this tower received, but in 2012, 42,000,000 people visited the windy city, many of whom probably spent a lot of time in the city center, exploring architectural landmarks of the city, including this famous tower.

The tower clock is a good landmark in the city, it will tell you where you are and you can easily navigate where you are going relative to it. The clock tower at the train stations helps people not to miss the train. And in Saudi Arabia, newest tower with the world's clock reminds people when to pray. All this information undoubtedly helps people, so the clock tower was built in important places. historical events squares, railway stations, etc. But over time, some tower clocks have become larger than the clocks they have become. business cards cities. The most famous of course is the clock in London Big Ben (Big Ben), now officially called the Elizabeth Tower (Elizabeth Tower). Whether you're looking for a tower clock or not, these lovely symbols of their cities will help guests find their way far from home.

Now let's take a look at the most famous tower clocks one by one.

Big Ben, London.

Originally Big Ben, it was a nickname that referred to the giant bell that was installed inside this tower. Nowadays, Big Ben is understood as the whole tower as a whole, the clock and the bell. But in 2012, the tower was renamed the Elizabeth Tower (Elizabeth Tower), in celebration of the sixtieth birthday of Queen Elizabeth II. The tower was built in 1854, the arrows were originally cast iron, over time they were replaced with lighter copper ones.

Spasskaya Tower, Moscow.

The Spasskaya Tower (formerly the Frolovskaya Tower) is a unique decoration of Red Square. The Spasskaya Tower was built in 1491 by the Italian architect Pietro Antonio Solari and was used for solemn processions. The clock was first installed in 1625 and acquired its current form, was updated in 1851. The self-luminous star crowning the Spasskaya Tower rotates like a weather vane. The height of the tower to the star is 67.3m, with the star 71m.

Tower of Abraj al-Bait, Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

The clock is located on a building 601 meters high and has a diameter of 43 meters, it is the most big clock in the world. The clock has LED backlight, during the call of believers to prayer, the watch can be seen from a distance of 30 kilometers.

Wrigley Clock Tower, Chicago.

Wrigley, a chewing gum company, was headquartered in the building with this beautiful clock tower. The clock tower was built in 1920. The tower was decorated with terracotta tiles in six shades of white, from pale white at the bottom to blue-white at the top, with the aim of making the tower visually brighter.

Clock tower Zytglogge, Bern, Switzerland.

This medieval tower (built in 1191) served as a watchtower for the western fortifications of Bern, then it was a prison, and then a clock tower.

Izmir clock tower, Turkey.

Spasskaya Tower in Moscow, Big Ben in London, Deira Clock Tower in Dubai and Zytglog in Bern are some of the most beautiful and famous towers with clocks on earth.

8. Spasskaya Tower in the Moscow Kremlin

The Moscow Spasskaya Tower was built by the Italian architect Pietro Antonio Solari in 1491. It has a passage through the eastern wall of the Moscow Kremlin. The clock on the red tower was installed later, sometime between 1491 and 1585. The tower clock is known as the Kremlin Chimes and shows the official Moscow time. At the top of the tower opens beautiful view to Red Square.

7. Prague Astronomical Clock (Prague Orloj), Prague, Czech Republic


The Prague Astronomical Clock is located on the Old Town Square in Prague. Installed in 1410, the clock is the oldest working astronomical clock in the world. Prague Orloj has three main parts: an astronomical dial, which shows the position of the Moon, the Sun and other astronomical details; "Walk of the Apostles", which is a series of moving sculptures; and the dial of the calendar, on which the medallions depict the months of the year.

6. Deira Clock Tower, Dubai, UAE


The Deira Clock Tower is located at the junction of Route 89 and Umm Harrar Road in Deira, Dubai. Also known as the Dubai Clock Tower, it was designed by architect Ziki Homsi and is one of the most important landmarks in Dubai.

5. Meccan Royal Clock Tower, Mecca, Saudi Arabia


The Meccan Royal Clock Tower has the largest clock face in the world, and the tower itself is the third tallest building in the world. The tower is part of Abraj al-Bayt, a complex of high-rise buildings consisting of seven skyscrapers owned by the government of Mecca. This complex located just a few meters from Masjid al-Haram, Islam's holiest site.

4. Khan el-Umdan Clock Tower, Akko, Israel


Khan el-Umdan, located in Israeli city Acre, is one of the most significant projects carried out by Ahmed Jazzar Pasha during the Ottoman Empire. Built in 1784, Khan el-Umdan has 40 granite columns at its base. The clock tower itself was erected in 1906 and marked the silver jubilee of the reign of the Ottoman Sultan Abd al-Hamid II. It is currently Israel's main tourist attraction and remains open throughout the day.

3. Zytglog, Bern, Switzerland


The famous medieval tower of the Bernese Switzerland Zytglog is an important landmark of the city. It was built in the 13th century and had many different functions: a prison, a clock tower, watch tower, civic memorial and center of urban life. The Zytglog is a heritage site of national importance and part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Old Town of Bern.

2. Rajabai Clock Tower, Mumbai, India


The Rajabai Clock Tower is an impressive tower located on the Fort Campus of the University of Mumbai in Mumbai, India. The history of the tower dates back to the colonial period in India, when it was designed by the English architect George Gilbert Scott.
The Rajabai Clock Tower was completed between 1869 and 1878. The tower is named after Rajabai, the mother of a wealthy Indian broker, Premchand Roychand, who financed the construction of this clock tower. In the architecture of the clock tower of Rajabai, one can observe a fusion of Gothic and Venetian styles.
1. Big Ben, London, UK


Big Ben is a famous landmark in London, which is located in the northern part of the Palace of Westminster. Big Ben is the nickname of the Big Bell, installed in the clock tower of the Palace, which is often called the very clock tower. Big Ben can be seen in almost all movies, as well as documentaries in which London appears.