Clock Tower (Bitola)
The Clock Tower of Bitola, known as Saat Kula (Macedonian: Саат кула), is a clock tower and one of the landmarks of the Macedonian city Bitola. The Clock tower in Bitola, unlike obsolete water towers which were built by the Austro Magjar empire, is a very practical monument aiding people with the time of day.[1]
According to the legends, even though the existence of the Clock Tower was mentioned before in the 1664 (17th century), present Clock Tower was built in the 1830s, in the same period when nearby, the Orthodox Church of St. Demetrious was built.[2]
It is located in the immediate center of Bitola on the northern part of the main street Sirok Sokak not far away from Magnolia Square, about which there are numerous cultural and historical monuments, as well as new construction. The clock tower is 33 meters high, with sides of per 5.8 m.[1][3] On all four sides are entrenched special metal plates mounted to the hands and inscribed Roman numbers from one to twelve.[3] Uppermost part is a small dome, which offers a beautiful panorama of the city and the wider environment. In more recent time a conservation is made and restoration, which has not changed the original appearance of the clock tower.[4] It was built of massive stone blocks. The main and also most decorative part of the Clock Tower is the part where you set the clock. The entrance to the clock tower encircled by large marble blocks is located on the north side and about a hundred stairs leads to the clock, to its peak of approximately 32 m. These steps lead to the top where in the past the big metal bells stood indicating the time. In 1927 there was set the first clock mechanism developed by the German company Konfage. Those required to ring the bells were replaced with so called sajdzhii (clock keepers) who were responsible for maintaining the clock and the clock mechanism. First there was a white clock face with black numbers and hands, and was smaller than the present. This clock mechanism was replaced in 1936. When they were placed 15 new bells, heavy 900 kg - a sign of gratitude for the construction of the Memorial Cemetery of German soldiers killed in the First World War. In 1962 the mechanism was restored, and in 1970 there was placed a keyboard mechanism to play new songs. The Clock Tower is one of the 180 towers in the world which has embedded such mechanism.
References
- Utrinski Vesnik - about the Saat Kula (Macedonian)
- Utrinski Vesnik - Saat Kula and the Partizans (Macedonian)
Notes
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Coordinates: 41°01′51″N 21°20′02″E / 41.03083°N 21.33389°E