Zytglogge - Bern, Switzerland
Posted by: 
manchanegra
N 46° 56.880 E 007° 26.874
32T E 381887 N 5200554
The Zytglogge tower is a landmark medieval tower in Bern, Switzerland. Built in the early 13th century, it has served the city as guard tower, prison, clock tower, centre of urban life and civic memorial.
Waymark Code: WMEH5M
Location: Bern, Switzerland
Date Posted: 05/30/2012
Views: 21
"The Zytglogge tower is a landmark medieval tower in Bern, Switzerland. Built in the early 13th century, it has served the city as guard tower, prison, clock tower, centre of urban life and civic memorial.
Despite the many redecorations and renovations it has undergone in its 800 years of existence, the Zytglogge is one of Bern's most recognisable symbols and, with its 15th-century astronomical clock, a major tourist attraction. It is a heritage site of national significance, and part of the Old City of Bern, a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site.
When it was built around 1218–20, the Zytglogge served as the gate tower of Bern's western fortifications.
In the great fire of 1405, the tower burnt out completely. It suffered severe structural damage that required thorough repairs.
In the late 15th century, the Zytglogge and the other Bernese gate towers were extended and decorated after the Burgundian Romantic fashion. The Zytglogge received a new lantern (including the metal bellman visible today), four decorative corner towerlets, heraldic decorations and probably its stair tower. The astronomical clock was extended to its current state. In 1527–30, the clockwork was completely rebuilt by Kaspar Brunner, and the gateway was overarched to provide a secure foundation for the heavy machinery.
The Bernese German Zytglogge translates to Zeitglocke in Standard German and to time bell in English; 'Glocke' means 'bell' in German, as in the related term 'glockenspiel'. A "time bell" was one of the earliest public timekeeping devices, consisting of a clockwork connected to a hammer that rang a small bell at the full hour. Such a device was installed in the Wendelstein in Bern – the tower of the Leutkirche church which the Münster later replaced – in 1383 at the latest; it alerted the bell-ringer to ring the tower bells."
From Wikipedia
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