Spital Netz Bern AG, Spital Ziegler

The Zytglogge or astronomical clock is probably one of the most recognizable structures in Bern. The clock dates to 1530, and all of the mechanisms you will see in the pictures are original (except the ropes). And it has been keeping accurate time without correction since it was started, including the astrolabe and glockenspiel.
This tower was originally built as the guard tower at the gate in the 1st city wall at the end of the 12th century or beginning of the 13th. As the city expanded and outer walls were built, the guard functions became less, though it didn't end. After the great fire in 1405, the guards here were mostly fire wardens.
The 1st picture is the Zytglogge from the east. The upper click show central European time. The astrolabe below shows astronomical time, the phases of the moon, the date and more. The glockenspiel to the right of the astrolabe has a rooster that crows, a jester who rings the hour, bears that dance around the same number of times as the hour, Chronos, the God of Time, turning his hourglass, waving his scepter and turning his head, and a wild beast who also reacts. Every hour on the hour.
The 2nd and 3rd pictures are the views from the windows atop the tower where the guards worked. When on duty, the 4 guards and their families lived in the tower. The 4th picture is their housing.
The rest of the pictures look at how the zytglogge is put together and how it works. The 5th picture looks at some of the structure, and the 6th picture is of some of the weights that drive the clock.
The 7th and 8th pictures are the mechanism from the 16th century, still working as designed. In the background of the 8th picture, you can see some of the cables and rods that drive the glockenspiel, clock and astrolabe: all one amazing (and did I mention original?) mechanism.
The last picture is the back of the glockenspiel. The bellows are for the rooster whose back you can see above the bellows. You can also see a couple bears on their turntable.
Needless to say, I am really taken with this machine that is so well designed and built that it is still working and accurate after almost 600 years without correction and with no indication that it might change. It was fun to watch the mechanism drive the glockenspiel on one of its hourly performances.Read more