Символ города The symbol of the city

Rating 8110

The great clock of Rouen (Gros-Horloge) was created in England in the 14th century, and later they were transported to Rouen and installed in the bell tower of the 12th century. But during the riots in Rouen, the tower was badly damaged, it was dismantled, and an arch was built for the clock, based on 2 sides of the street. Before the “moving” to the arch, the clock had no decorations, only a single hour hand. This clock has become one of the city's most famous landmarks. Their mechanism, created in 1389, is one of the oldest in France. The dial represents the sun with rays against the background of a blue star and has only one hand - an hour, at the end of which there is a golden ram. This animal is also depicted on the coat of arms of Rouen, since previously the main income for the city was brought by the wool trade. In addition to counting time, watches also perform astrological functions. The phases of the moon can be seen on the silver ball above the dial itself.
And at the bottom of the dial you can see the change of days of the week displayed on the scoreboard. This information was very important for medieval sailors and peasants. This whole old, huge mechanism has never broken down, it has not accumulated errors. It really works like clockwork!