Walking in the Cathedral Square and looking up at the bell tower of the square, we can notice the clock installed on it. This clock is special - it is not only the main clock of Vilnius, but also the only clock in the city that has retained its archaic quality - it has neither minute nor second hands.
Živilė Peluritienė, the press representative of the Archdiocese of Vilnius, told MadeinVilnius.lt about this. Vilnius Cathedral's belfry clock is the first public clock in Lithuania, which has remained the capital's main clock until now. He started counting time 350 years ago. As the representative of the archdiocese told, since 1673 the clock shows only hours, it does not have minute and second hands.
Quarters are struck by bells in this clock. There are two of them in the tower: the big one was cast in 1673 by craftsman Jonas Delamars, the small one was created in 1754 by the molder Gustavo Miorkos. The bells let you know what time it is now. We hear the small bell every 15 minutes. One stroke means the first quarter of an hour, two strokes sound when the half hour strikes, three strokes mean 45 minutes, and when the hour changes we hear four strokes. After a short pause, a larger bell rings - we hear as many beats as there are hours.
The belfry clock reflects well the trends of the past, when they tried to make clocks as beautiful as possible. That is why sometimes those watches did not become the embodiment of engineering perfection. According to the representative of the archdiocese, if the administration, employees or passers-by notice that the clock has stopped, its mechanism is repaired as quickly as possible.
Clocks of the past were often decorated with astrological motifs. Such a motif can also be seen in the Vilnius Cathedral bell tower clock - the hour hand is decorated with the symbol of the Moon. All other elements of the watch are gold plated.
The major repair of the clock took place only once - in 1803. Instead, in 2005, the gear mechanism brought from Germany was replaced by a computer. He controls the arrow and the bells.
Residents and tourists you can visit the bell tower of the Vilnius Cathedral, which offers a beautiful view of the city panorama. During the tour, you can get to know the working principle of the clock mechanism and see all the bells live.
