Description of the attraction
Tirana's Clock Tower was built between 1822-1840. The clock tower has been a cultural monument since May 24, 1948. The height of the building is 35 meters, and until 1970 it was the tallest building in the capital of Albania.
The construction of the Clock Tower took place on the initiative and thanks to Haji Ethem Bey, who was once famous patron of Tirana. Stone and oak were used as building materials, the staircase was firmly integrated into the structure of the building and only recently was replaced by a metal one. The building is equipped with small loopholes for artificial ventilation, thanks to which it also performed a guard function.
The shape of the tower gives the building some resemblance to the Venetian bell tower in Piazza San Marco. Originally, the bell, brought from Venice, counted the beats every hour. The history of the tower clock begins in 1928, when the municipality of Tirana bought the mechanism from Germany. This chronometer was destroyed during the Second World War and was replaced in 1946 with a winding church clock from Shkoder, with Roman numerals on the dial.
The last restoration was made several years ago by the Ministry of Culture and cost $ 30,000. The clock tower has been open for tourist excursions since 1996.
