Clock Tower - Zytglogge
- Visit: 1–2 hours
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Why go
- One of Switzerland’s oldest tower clocks.
- The clock once set Bern’s official time, and road distances were measured from the tower.
Opening hours
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Don't miss
- Astronomical clockRead the zodiac, Julian calendar, weekday, moon phase and time on its 24-hour dial. The moon ball shows dark at new moon and gold at full moon.The astronomical dial on the tower.
- Clockwork figuresA rooster crows as a jester rings two bells and seven bears rotate. At the hour, Chronos turns his hourglass and raises his sceptre as a golden lion nods.At the tower clock.
- Eastern clock faceGolden Roman numerals mark the hours and minutes; the sun on the hour hand always faces upward.East side of the tower.
- Great hour bellJohann Reber’s 1,400-kilogram hour bell dates from the 1405 reconstruction. A clockwork hammer strikes it at each full hour as a gilded figure moves its arm.In the cupola at the top of the tower.
- West frescoVictor Surbek’s fresco followed a 1929 competition.West side of the tower.
Know before you go
- The tower can be viewed from outside at any time.
- Visitor access to the interior is by guided tour only.
Tips for your visit
- For visitor enquiries, call +41 31 328 12 12.
- Look in the passageway for the public length measures introduced in the 18th century.
Best time to visit
- Arrive at least five minutes before the hour to catch the start of the figure performance, and stay for the hour chimes.
Interesting facts5
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Five mechanisms share one case: a timekeeper, two striking mechanisms and two figure-play mechanisms.
Zytglogge - Wikipedia -
The astronomical clock’s larger sun makes an annual circuit of the zodiac and tracks sunrise, dawn, dusk and sunset.
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150 years
A pendulum escapement replaced the original foliot regulator about 150 years after the clock was made.
Zytglogge - Wikipedia -
1930
The bell-striker Hans von Thann is a 1930 reconstruction of a Baroque original.
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1960
Zytglogge appeared on a 60-rappen Swiss Post stamp in 1960; the same image was reissued in 1967.
Zytglogge - Wikipedia
Shorts
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Bern’s Clock Tower (Zytglogge),Chanchan Roy
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Zytglogge Clock Tower in Bern, SwitzerlandWilliam Horton Flies
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History
As Bern expanded westward, the former boundary tower became more central and lost its defensive role.
- 1218–1220Built as a gate tower guarding Bern’s western fortifications, at the west end of the city’s main street.
- 1270–1275Raised by 7 metres to overlook nearby houses.
- 1344–1346After Bern’s western defences expanded, the tower became a women’s prison.
- 1405A city fire gutted the tower; it was rebuilt in Bern sandstone as a clock tower.
- early 15th c.A clock was installed above the gate, alongside the great bell cast in 1405.
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- late 15th c.The astronomical clock was extended to its present form.
- 1527–1530Kaspar Brunner rebuilt the clockwork and chimes, which date from 1530; the gateway was arched over to support the machinery.
- 1607–1610Gotthard Ringgli and Kaspar Haldenstein repainted the exterior and added large clock faces on the east and west sides.
- 1770–1771Niklaus Hebler and Ludwig Emanuel Zehnder renovated the tower.
- 1981–1983Restoration generally returned the tower to its 1770 appearance.
Sources: Zytglogge - Wikipedia · Zytglogge - Wikipedia (part 2) · Zytglogge - Wikipedia · Zytglogge - Wikipedia · Torre Zytglogge - Wikipedia · checked 28 Sep 2026
- Phone
- +41 31 328 12 12
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Questions and answers
How long does a visit to Clock Tower - Zytglogge take?
Allow roughly 1–2 hours as a general visit estimate; this is not a stated guided-tour duration.
How old is Clock Tower - Zytglogge’s astronomical dial design?
Its basic astrolabe design dates to 1405–1406.
Where is Clock Tower - Zytglogge?
It is at Bim Zytglogge 3, 3000 Bern.
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