Zytglogge

The Zytglogge is a medieval tower in the heart of Bern, recognizable by the ornate astronomical clock on its eastern facade. Built in the early thirteenth century as a squat, sixteen-meter guard tower, it originally marked the western entrance to the city's fortifications. As Bern expanded westward, the tower was eventually swallowed by the growing city, losing its strategic defensive purpose and gaining a new role at the center of urban life.