Bell Mechanism at the Town Hall Tower in Krakow
One thing which I find fascinating when I visit old cities or towns in Europe is that they would usually have towers which are usually civilian in purpose. This is probably an attempt by the civilian government to assert their supremacy over the powerful church and what better way to show that than building a very tall tower. The tower also has a few practical purposes. This was where people would be telling time. Any decent town hall tower would have a bell to tell time. I have seen this in other cities and the bell usually still works.
Old Clapper at the Town Hall Tower in Krakow
Now, I actually didn’t get to hear the bell ring. I wasn’t even sure if it still works. At the top of the tower, there is an enclosed area which I assumed to be the mechanism for the bell. It didn’t seem to be moving though, but it was difficult to tell since you can’t see the entire thing. There is another enclosure with what appears to be the hammer technically called the clapper which rings the bell. It looks old and bend out of shape. If this wasn’t near the bell mechanism, I wouldn’t have thought to associate it with the bell. I have a few days here in Krakow, I wonder if I would be able to hear the bell ring.
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