Sighișoara Clock Tower

The present Baroque roof with five turrets and onion bulbs represents an exceptional achievement of the three travelling master craftsmen: Veit Gruber from Tyrol, Philip Bong of Salzburg and the carpenter Valentinus "the foreigner" ("der Auslander"), who rebuilt the tower after the great fire of 1676 from March to September 1677 for 650 florins.

Since 1898, the tower has served as a museum in Sighișoara, a title that gives to it the status of symbol of the citadel and the main attraction for visitors.

The base of the tower is crossed by two vaulted semi-cylindrical parallel passages dating from the 13th century, provided in the past with solid oak doors and metal gratings, whose traces can still be partially seen today.

The tower carries many signs of local authority: the four turrets placed on the corners of the roof, 12.5 meters high, are symbols of the autonomy of the State, which can pronounce and execute sentences of capital punishment.

Also the clock and some of the figures on the inside can be considered symbols of public authority, as can the 1-meter diameter golden sphere on the summit of the roof.

In the niche facing the citadel are arranged, on three levels, the following figures: The niche located in the face looking towards the lower city has only two sections or levels: At first sight the seven figures appear to represent only seven days of the week, but in reality they also depict the seven ancient gods, seven planets and seven basic metals.