Info point 18: The square tower

The public clock

At the very end of the 15th century when the square tower was built, its role was primarily defensive. It was only later with the addition of the settlement square during the 16th century that a public clock was added to it. The public clock was a weight-driven clock with one sun-shaped hand and a bell. The bell chimed the hours, from 1 to 24, starting at midnight. The hand dutifully followed the movement of the Sun, its rise from the horizon to the zenith and its descent towards the horizon. Thus, the clock was useful even without reading the numbers on its dial.

The stone dial

Its stone dial has to this day been miraculously preserved in its original form. Almost all other Venetian Republic public clocks of that time were gradually modified during the 18th century and consequently after the fall of the Republic when the way the time was calculated changed and the 12-hour clocks with two hands, that we continue to use today, were introduced.

As a tower with a supervisory function, it offers one of the most breathtaking views of the settlement and its surroundings. The square is surrounded by the most important parts of the settlement – the castle, the parish church, the settlement lodge, and the public water reservoir.