Velké náměstí 1, Town hall on Velké náměstí, Kroměříž, Czech Republic

The Kroměříž town hall is a Renaissance corner building at Velké náměstí 1, where Kovářská and Prusinovského streets meet. A 40-metre tower projects half its depth from the facade, topped by a gallery, a flat square dome and a two-storey lantern. Two clock dials show hours above and minutes below, and arcades run along Kovářská Street and under the tower.

Built before 1572 and standing in near-current form by 1593, the town hall was repaired with funding from Cardinal Franz von Dietrichstein in 1611. Swedish troops under General Torstensson burned it in 1643, destroying the town archive; it was restored by 1654 and remodelled under Bishop Karl II von Liechtenstein-Kastelkorn, whose 1668 chronogram plaque is in the vestibule.

The tower's two dials, from the 17th century, once showed whole and half hours; a watchman lived up there and sounded the bell called pirglok each day to signal that taverns must close. The arcades below, reopened in 1963, had housed small shops for centuries.

The exterior can be viewed freely from the main square, which offers easy access and clear sightlines to the whole facade. The location at the center of town makes it simple to find and explore the surrounding plaza area.

The tower's two clock faces date from the 17th century: the upper one shows hours, the lower one minutes. A tower flat housed the watchman and his helpers, who guarded the town against fire and sounded the bell called pirglok to signal that taverns must close.