Zytglogge

The Zytglogge features a complex astronomical clock face painted in gold, deep blue, and black, mounted high on a stone tower. Originally built as a simple gatehouse for the western edge of Bern in the early thirteenth century, it served as a prison for women until a fire gutted the interior in fourteen oh five. When the city rebuilt it, they installed the elaborate clockwork mechanism. A mechanical rooster crows and bears parade around the dial every hour, marking the transition of time.