Clock tower Sevlievo city

Overview

The clock tower is the oldest preserved public building in Sevlievo. In the eighteenth century the city was the administrative center and center of crafts and trade in the area. The development of handicrafts requires the observance of certain rules of work, rights and obligations of craftsmen. In this regard, in some cities of the country high clock towers began to rise, whose bells announced for each passing hour.

According to some local historians, the Sevlievo Clock Tower was built in 1777, other experts are of the opinion that the year 1779 corresponds to the year written in Arabic numerals above the front door. The year 1775 is engraved on the bell.

There are three main parts in the appearance of the bell tower. Inside the stone base move the ropes with the weights of the clockwork, which is located in the middle, octagonal part. The wooden structure at the top ends with a dome lined with copper sheets. Inside is the bell, and the bell flies freely through the openings in the walls. Interesting are the stone reliefs, which depict construction tools, military objects, various rosettes.

In 1871 the famous Austro-Hungarian traveler archaeologist and ethnographer Felix Kanitz, during one of his travels in the Bulgarian lands stayed for several days in Sevlievo. In his travelogue "Danube Bulgaria and the Balkans" he describes his impressions of the city, mentioning the Clock Tower. A plaque mounted on the wall of the tower reflects the events of July 1877, when Russian military intelligence entered the city and after an impromptu march organized by enthusiastic Sevlievo citizens, the Hussars sat at the city clock to rest and eat.

The clock tower has become a city landmark and an invariable element of the life of the people of Sevlievo and over the years it has been taken care of. As important news in the municipal newspapers in the years 1911, 1924 and 1965 were published the reports that the clock mechanism was legally repaired or repaired. It has been declared an architectural monument of culture.