Clock Tower of Tirana
| Clock Tower of Tirana | |
|---|---|
| Kulla e Sahatit | |
 Clock tower of Tirana | |
  Location in Albania | |
| General information | |
| Type | Tower |
| Address | Rruga 28 Nentori |
| Town or city | Tirana |
| Country | Albania |
| Coordinates | 41°19′40″N 19°49′11″E / 41.327798°N 19.819783°E |
| Completed | 1822 |
| Renovated | 26 August 2009[1] |
| Owner | Municipality of Tirana |
The Clock Tower of Tirana (Albanian: Kulla e Sahatit), was built in Tirana, Albania in 1822 by Haxhi Et'hem Bey, a Bejtexhinj poet who also finished the building of the Et'hem Bey Mosque next to the clock tower.[2] The stairs have 90 steps that go in a spiral fashion. It is 35 metres (115 ft) tall and was the tallest building in Tirana at the time.
History
The clock tower originally had a bell from Venice that marked the time every hour. In 1928 the Municipality of Tirana purchased a new clock in Germany to replace the existing one.[2] The clock was destroyed by bombardments during World War II and was replaced in 1946 with a Roman numeral clock from a church in Shkoder, Albania.[2] In 1970 the Roman numeral clock was replaced by a Chinese clock. The tower underwent renovation in 1981 and also in 1999. Access to the top of the tower has been available free of charge since 1996.[2]
A new restoration is ongoing by The Municipality of Tirana in 2010 for tourists.[2]
External links
- Kulla e Sahatit (Albanian)
