I cheated a bit and walked a small detour (100m) on my way to the library, so I was at the monument of our city, at the Zytturm (litterally translated: Time Tower), for the world wide minute.
This 52 metre high landmark of my town dominates the historical part of the town. It dates back to the thirteenth century. The steep hipped roof and the look-out chamber were added in 1557 and in 1574 they built the big clock.
Beneath the clock is also an astronomical clock. This one has four pointers: The arrow indicates the week, the crescent the moon phase, the sun the month and the letter S, the leap years.
Inside are two old jail cells, so-called Timpis preserved. And under the roof is a “Föhnwächterstübchen”, a guardroom as a lookout over the city and the lake. In former times used to watch out for enemies and for fire, when the wind from the south (Föhn) increased the fire risk in the old town.
You can see also the coat of arms of eight Cantons of Central Switzerland. The five on the right side are the heart and historically the origin of Switzerland, with the Cantons of Uri, Schwyz, Unterwalden, Glarus and Zug.
And if you have read this far, just a little riddle: Why has this tower blue and white roof-tiles? The answer you will find in the comments ...
@terryliv No ;-), we do not have Christmas crackers. This was one of the questions in a history test. The teacher thought it was funny, as I did today.
