Botevgrad Clock Tower

The Clock tower of Botevgrad (Bulgarian: Часовниковата кула в Ботевград) is the symbol of the town and a part of 100 Tourist Sites of Bulgaria.

[1] The clock tower was built while Bulgaria was still under Ottoman rule by the master Vuno Markov from Vrachesh as a part of large-scale construction in 1866 on the occasion of the announcement of the village Samundjievo as town and district center by proposal of Midhat Pasha.

The clock mechanism was made by the local ironmonger Gencho Nakov, and the bell – by master Lazar Dimitrov from Bansko.

[1] In its century-long history, the architecture monument has undergone many conservation and restoration efforts, as well as artistic activities to keep its original style and appearance.

The lower section of the tower is square, reaching a height of 11 m. It has stone masonry with a door, which leads inside for servicing and winding the clock mechanism.

The middle section is narrowed and its edges are outlined by half-columns, ending with cornices, and the walls are slightly wave-shaped, which adds elegance to the building.

A view of the clock tower
A night view of the clock tower