The City Tower – Fourth Floor

The body of the clock mechanism you are standing next to dates from the 1930s and comes from the clockmaking workshop of Jan Antl from Brno. He was a specialist in the manufacture of tower clocks. He ran his own company and trained in, among other places, England. He was a pioneer in the construction of tower clocks using electric drive. This clock mechanism replaced the original Renaissance tower clock from the 16th century, which is now located in the Executioner’s House (Katov dom). Its author was probably a local blacksmith, as evidenced by his mark on the individual components of the clock. Today, a modern compact electric clock mechanism is used, driving the clock hands on all four sides of the tower. An interesting detail is that originally the hour hand was larger than the minute hand, reflecting the idea that hours are far more important for orientation in time than minutes.