Chasing Time: From Bohemia to Transylvania

How much history of a place is revealed through its public clocks?

While travelling from the Bohemian and Moravian regions of Eastern Europe down to Transylvania and Wallachia, the several clocks styled within the local architecture make sure you are constantly reminded of one thing – TIME. A sense of time that is set against a backdrop of bygone eras, ticking softly the realities to those who wish to unwind the stories that lie behind them. Time that has shaped these historical regions into the present day Czech Republic, Hungary and Romania.

TURNING BACK TIME

Although several instruments of time have been in existence for millennia, clock-making at one point emerged as one of the most technically-advanced trades. Relying on clock-makers skillfully fashioning these time-tellers by hand, mechanical clocks in Europe began appearing in the 13th and 14th centuries. With their precision and ability to masterfully feature intricate details, many of the best clock-makers were also behind the design of various early scientific and musical instruments as well.

Marrying art and mechanical engineering in a mesmerizing way, the Orloj in Prague, Czech Republic, is one of the oldest astronomical clocks in the world with a history dating back to 1410.
In its complex design, one is said to find the relative position of the sun, moon, earth, zodiac constellations along with the ancient Czech time, as well as the present time.

Interestingly, Christian monks were some of the earliest mechanical clock-makers, necessitated by their daily schedules for prayer and work. Soon, these clocks found their way into churches, monasteries, palaces and townhalls as a primary indicator of time for everyone in the village or town.

Many of these took the form of ‘turret clocks’ or ‘tower clocks’- mounted high on buildings, and often accompanied with bells or chimes – increasing its visibility and function for the public. Turret clocks were a fixture between the 12th and 20th centuries, expanding its presence well beyond the European borders, still bearing its design in many of the lands once colonized and those of their colonizers.

In the age of smartphones and wrist watches, these clocks might often get overlooked. However, a little rewinding into its history is all you need in order to get a glimpse of what beheld these Eastern European lands back in the day. But that is not all. Bearing connections to tales of survival and routines of life, to sanctuaries of worship and memories of royals, many of the public clocks of Czech Republic, Hungary and Romania, still continue to subtly contribute to the character and identity of each place.

Morning Side (9AM – 12PM)

The Wallachian 9th Hour – As the morning clouds make space to let the sun rays in, nestled in the picturesque town of Sinaia, Romania is the Peleș Castle. Surrounded by the forested Carpathian mountains and showing off its regal design of Gothic-revival architecture, this alpine castle was built between 1873 and 1883, around the time when the region had gained independence from the Ottoman rule. It was commissioned by the German royal, Carol I – the first king of the then newly independent Romania. Standing taller than the neighbouring trees at 66m high, the castle’s central clock tower was erected in 1906 with the clock dials mounted on it a year later.

And within the exquisite interior of the castle, carefully curated is a royal exhibition of over 50 clocks, mostly from the 19th century. Everything from alarm clocks to fireplace ones, grandfather clocks, pocket watches and more. So it will come as no surprise that the one trait that King Carol was known and appreciated for was his punctuality. 

But time here had seen the highs and lows. The castle was seized by the communist regime in 1948, with the then-King forced to abdicate and chased out of the country. The castle eventually became a museum in the 1950’s going through some tumultuous times, and then later reopened to the public in 2007.

The Bohemian 10th Hour – Inching into the brunch time zone, about a day’s journey north of Sinaia, the pedestrian streets in Prague, Czech Republic begin to get to busy. And keeping one’s time in check are the commonplace ‘street clocks’ or otherwise known as ‘post clocks’. As its name suggests, these are free-standing clocks that have either a two or four-sided clock on top of the post. Back in the day, they needed to be wound periodically using mechanisms located at the base of the clock. But time has progressed of course, replacing those mechanical devices with electric clocks for their automatic abilities to tell time.

Street Clock in Old Town, Prague showing the time as 10:38am

The Transylvanian 10th Hour – Back in Romania, visible from almost every part of the city of Sighișoara, is a 14th-century clock tower that brings an olden charm of its own and is sure to take one back through the decades. Standing 64m tall, its functions were just as lofty. Built to primarily guard the main gate of this Transylvanian fortressed citadel, the tower also served as the townhall till 1556 and for a period of time, became a holding cell for prisoners as well.

Towering over the rest of the citadel, the clock tower balcony was an important observation deck that allowed to sight any fires
The multi-coloured roof has four small corner towers in Baroque style

The clocks themselves were installed in the 17th century, but a raging fire destroyed part of the tower, resulting in the replacement of the wooden clock mechanism to a metal one. Featuring two clock faces – one facing the citadel square and the other looking out to the lower town that sits just outside the citadel walls. Right next to these clock faces are a collection of 0.8m wooden figurines that are rotated by the clock’s mechanism, creating an enigmatic scene for those beholding this piece of functional art. Although the current clock mechanism was updated to electrical in 1964, it doesn’t take one bit away from the historic appeal it possesses.

Adding to the whimsical aura of the clock tower is a round golden scope on top, with a pole ending in a rooster figurine that rotates with the wind. As one story goes, once the tower was completed, the local people believed there needed to be something valuable on top of the roof to make it feel complete. So they sent for a giant who was known for making golden scopes. After placing the golden scope on top, the giant warned the townfolks that if someone tall enough were to reach and touch the scope, then they will have to give it away. So locals today are still supposedly afraid that a stranger will come by their town to touch the scope and they will have to part with it.

Noon Time (12PM – 3PM)

The Bohemian 13th hour – A stroll across the famous Charles Bridge in the Czech capital brings into view the St. Nicholas bell tower with its black and golden clock. Built in 1755, this was the last ‘warning’ tower or fire watchtower in Prague. Fiery incidents in the Bohemian city kicked into motion a warning system. Sighting any fires, the watchperson in the tower would ring the bell, and would indicate the fire location using a red flag during the day or a lamp at night. Efficient or not, this system was eventually abolished in 1891. But besides telling fire and time, the tower also served as a spy base by the secret service during the Communist era, monitoring several Western embassies in the surrounding area. 

The Moravian 14th Hour – A few hundred kilometers down south, the Bohemian lands give way to Moravia. And here, melding into the white cloud sky background is the Pearl of Moravia, displaying a 70+ year old clock that continues to function to this day. This pilgrimage church in Křtiny, Czech Republic was designed by local Czech architect and goes by the name of Church of Virgin Mary.

Paralleling its beauty is also a mystery. Below the church lies an ossuary holding the remains of over 1000 people, which used to be in the cemetery previously located on the church property. In the 1990’s a surprising discovery in the crypt below yielded twelve skulls that are said to be painted with laurel wreaths and the letter T. The who, the why or the how behind these painted skulls still remains a suspense.

The Bohemian 14th Hour – With almost every story that time could ever unravel in its books, comes the simply exquisite St. Vitus Cathedral. Persevering through numerous wars, blazing fires and deaths of its various architects, the cathedral took roughly 600 years to finish being constructed, and stands today as the largest temple in Prague. On its southern side stands the tall bell tower with its dual face clock decorating it since 1552. The upper clock shows the hours, while the almost inconspicuous lower one shows minutes.

Notice the hour-hand clockfaces in the middle of the St. Vitus cathedral bell tower, with the minute-hand clock faces further below, before the next arch. Together they read 2:45pm. Having such two clock faces was a commonly adopted solution back in the day to counter the difficulty of setting the axes of both hands onto the centre of the same clock face.

This bell tower contains Prague’s biggest bell – Zikmund – made in 1549. The local people were in a dilemma trying to figure out how to get this heavy 15-tonne bell to the tower, until the king’s daughter herself created a pulley. Using rope made of the princess’ hair, the bell was pulleyed onto the tower. It is said that the princess destroyed the machine so that nobody would decipher its principle. Legends don’t end here though. According to another one, it is said that if the heart of the bell breaks, then bad things will certainly befall the land. Coincidentally, in 2012, the bell broke and in just a few weeks, the country was raged by floods. Only time can tell whether this was a coincidence or if it was indeed a legend coming true.

The Wallachian 15th Hour – Distinct from the tower clocks and street clocks are those that are built into the walls of impressive buildings, like the CEC palace or the Palace of the Deposits and Consignments, in Bucharest, Romania. Housing the headquarters of the state-owned Romanian bank, it was built between 1897 and 1900. At the top of the entrance is a functional clock set within an artistic portrayal of two Greek deities. On the left is Hermes, the Greek god of commerce and on the right is Demeter, the goddess of fertility and riches. Both beautifully befitting the mission of the building. This architectural symbol has stood the test of time – remaining intact even after two big earthquakes and two WWII bombings in the 1940’s. 

Evening Prelude (3pm – 6pm)

The Transylvanian 16th Hour – About two hundred kilometers away in Brașov, Romania,  the clock strikes four from a watchtower that has stood in the same spot in the town square since the 16th century. Now part of Brașov County Museum of History in Romania, it retells the story of tower watchmen announcing everything from time to other events such as attacks or fires. Since these announcements were made from the watchtower by playing a trumpet, it also used to be called “The Trumpeters’ Tower”. Still trying to retain some of its functions, clocks have since been added to all four sides of the tower, offering the time to anyone passing through the square.

The light green-coloured town square clock reading 4pm

Minutes away is another clock, colourfully setting itself against the walls of the famed Black Church (Biserica Neagră) in Brașov. The construction of the Black Church began in 1383, with the clock and the bells added in 1514. However, the completion was delayed for decades due to various reasons including attacks from the Ottoman empire, insufficient resources, earthquakes and a raging fire that pretty much destroyed the town in 1689.

Once known as Church of Saint Mary, the building took on its current name in the 19th century due its dark appearance. While some say the church’s colour tone has been acquired due to the fire, others attribute it to the increasing pollution levels in recent years.

The restoration slowly began in the 18th century. This impressive church is now considered as one of the largest Gothic churches in the Eastern Europe with a 4000-organ pipe. The church tower is home to the largest bell in Romania weighing six to seven tonnes.

Adding a bit of colour to the outer walls is a two-dial clock. On the outer ends of the current clock, there are four human figures (supposedly depicting the Christian apostles Matthew, Mark, Luke & John) along with lion, an eagle, a calf and an angel (right to left). These religious symbols were commonly represented in the Early Medieval art and are said to depict the guards of the four corners of paradise.

Below the clock showing 4:12pm is the motto of the Lutheran Reformation - Verbum Domini Manet in Aeternum (The Word of the Lord Endures Forever)

The Wallachian 17th Hour – Surviving through similar tales of wars, fires, earthquakes and foreign invaders, the Old Princely Court church (a.k.a. Saint Anthony Church) said to be built in the mid 1500’s, is considered to be Bucharest’s oldest church still standing. Against a wall of brickwork and white plaster of its bell tower, is a golden-yellow and white clock with Roman numerals painted on separate white bubbles. Featuring Serbian architectural styles with Byzantine influence, the church was once a site for royal coronation. As one legend goes, whenever the founder of this church, Mircea Ciobanul, arrived at the location, lambs would be sacrificed so that the ruler could walk over the blood, which was attributed to providing strength. And after his death, his body was also buried at this church.

The church featuring Wallachian (old Romanian) architecture, is located within the courtyard that also once contained the palatial home of the infamous King Vlad, the Impaler. The clock itself (displaying 5:25pm) is mounted on the smaller tower beside the church.

The Wallachian 18th Hour – Back in Bucharest, in Piaţa Unirii or Union Square, stands a post clock with a vintage look. Such cast-iron post clocks in Europe were once traditionally installed by jewellers.

Back in the day, the time on one’s pocket watch could be matched to the correct time shown on these street clocks. And when the pocket watch stops functioning correctly, they could visit the jewellers to get it fixed. These post clocks were also said to be used by banks and other retailers, predominantly as signage for their services.

While this clock itself is comparatively recent, the year 1459 is embossed onto the clock face, bearing much significance locally. It is the year when Bucharest was mentioned for the first time in history, through a document issued by the legendary king, Vlad the Impaler. It is said that the king earned this nickname thanks to his habit of impaling enemies onto stakes, leaving them to die slowly. Vicious as this maybe, he was also known for fighting hard for his kingdom against foreign invasion, with many locals hailing him as a national hero.

Given the elegant look and central location, the street clock in Piaţa Unirii is often given as a meet-up point.

Twilight Zone (6pm – 9pm)

The Bohemian 18th Hour – Bearing a Gothic-roof, is another tower in Prague, just across the Charles Bridge. The current look of this Old Town Water Tower with its tower clock is from 1878, which expanded on its 1577 version. Originally built to provide water supply to the town’s fountains, this building used to be an easy target of enemies that intended to disrupt the local water distribution. The tower was also initially made of wood, where workers had to use fire to melt the frozen water pipes during winter that in turn resulted in a number of raging fires. With restoration, barely any scars remain to tell these stories of its struggle for existence.

Once pocket and wrist watches started gaining popularity, the construction of tower clocks, such as the one on the Old Town Water Tower, slowed down. But the clock continues to function displaying at the time 6:38pm

The Moravian 18th Hour – A couple hundred miles away, a small clock accessorizes the Zámek Rájec nad Svitavou or Manor house that is reminiscent of a similar charred history. The French-style chateau was built between 1763-1769 in Rájec-Jestřebí, Czech Republic. Prior to this, the land was home to a mediaeval castle that was destroyed in the 14th century, and the next castle built in 1570 also met a similar fate, being destroyed by fire in 1746. The current building was commissioned by the house of Salm-Reifferscheidt-Raitz, a noble family of German heritage who were settled in what was called Central Moravia at the time.

The clock sitting in confidence at the top middle part of the Manor House displaying the time, 6:52pm

The Hungarian 20th Hour – Absorbing some of the pink hues of the emerging sunset are two towers of the Saint Anne Parish in Budapest, Hungary, with four clocks each. These clocks have a white face, with the Roman numeral hours and clockhands, both painted in black. While this Roman Catholic church was founded in 1390, as with many other buildings of its time, it was destroyed in the 16th century during the Ottoman attacks and since been restored. 

The Saint Anne Parish in Budapest located on the Buda side of the Danube river, with the clock showing 8:20pm

The Moravian 20th Hour – And as the sun finally sets and electric lights begin to appear on St. James Square in Brno, Czech Republic, a simple clock stays adorned on the outer walls of Church of St. James. The church can be found mentioned in writings as far back as the year 1228. At some point, with the connected cemetery having run out of capacity, the city started a new burial system to make way for burying the recent dead. The graves were reopened and the skeletal remains stored in an ossuary located beneath the church. The number of remains discovered in this ossuary has given it the reputation of being the second largest in Europe. In spite of the church’s seemingly unpretentious exterior, it carries the heavy weight of the memories that lie beneath these remains.

The wall of the Church of St.James lends itself directly as the face of the clock reading 8:30pm

Time Out

Hinting everything from hurting scars to lasting legacies, the different clocks from Bohemia, through Moravia to Transylvania and Wallachia open the doors to the ‘once-upon-a-time’s of Czechia, Hungary and Romania. The shared narratives of destructive fights and fires and the unique ones of mysteries and legends. Yet, as these wheels of time continue to turn, there is another reminder that tick tocks – not about the past but for the future. Our choice to learn from the days before (both the highs and lows) and thoughtfully adding something more hopeful to these chronicles of time.

Travel Tips

Tip for the Open-Minded Traveler

Take note of the different structures where public clocks appear in the place you are visiting (i.e. are they on towers, stand alones or integrated into buildings?). Observe if there are any common features about their locations (e.g. are they in places of worship or public buildings?).

Tip for the Curious Traveler

Dig into the past of how and when the public clock structures came to be in the place you are visiting. Do they reflect locally-developed designs or have a colonial influence? Check with the local museums / archives or read up on stories connected to the clock structures you have identified.

Tip for the Reflective Traveler

Think about the role(s) any surviving public clocks play in the place where you live or are visiting. Consider other things that play similar roles in today’s society. Reflect on whether there is any value to the presence or absence of such public clocks as part of the local architecture and streetscape, beyond their ability to tell time.