Description of the attraction
Most often, residents of Iquique talk about their hometown - "glorious Iquique", "land of champions" … In the Aymara language, "ikiiki" means "a place of dreams" or "a place of rest". Basically, these are not only beautiful definitions for the city, but also a part of its history. It is the historic center of Iquique that is one of the most interesting places in the capital of Tarapaca de Chile.
A guided tour of Arturo Prata Square and the surrounding streets is undoubtedly the best way to get to know this city, guarded by sea and desert. When you stand in Prata Square, the first thing that stands out is the Clock Tower (25 m high), which is one of the main symbols of the city. Its construction was approved by the mayor of Benigno Posada and the state city council in 1877. The Clock Tower replaced the church that was destroyed by fire in 1873.
The clock, which is installed on the tower, was ordered from the jewelry workshop of Federico Franz. The watch arrived from England in 1878 aboard the Ibis. They celebrate every quarter of an hour with the ringing of a small bell, and every hour is beaten off by the ringing of a large bell.
The tower itself was designed and constructed from Oregon pine in the fall of 1878 by architect Eduardo de Lapeyrous. And the arrived watch was able to serve for about three months before the outbreak of the war in the Pacific Ocean (1879-1883). In October 1880, the Clock Tower was miraculously saved from a fire that destroyed most of the center of Iquique. As a result of the fire, the central square of the city, which is known as Prat Square, expanded slightly in the south and west.
The style of the tower itself is eclectic, combining elements of Gothic and Islamic architecture. On the four sides of the tower there are beautiful pointed arches - echoes of Moorish art. A bust of Arturo Prat was erected at the foundation of the building.
In 1987, the Clock Tower was declared a Chilean National Monument.
