Tirana Clock Tower, Clock tower at Skanderbeg Square, Tirana, Albania
The Clock Tower of Tirana is a stone tower at Skanderbeg Square that rises about 35 meters high. Inside, a spiral staircase with around 90 steps leads to an observation platform offering views across the central square and surrounding area.
Haxhi Et'hem Bey built the tower after finishing the mosque's minaret; a chronogram by poet Shaban "Hulusi" Bey Toptani marks its completion in 1238 Hijri (1822 CE), though another account dates the work to 1822-1830, funded by Tirana's wealthy families. In 1928 the tower took its present form when the government bought a new German clock mechanism for 13,390 gold francs, replacing the original, looted by Austrian forces in World War I. Damaged in World War II, it was repaired and running again in July 1946.
The tower stands beside the Et'hem Bey Mosque, forming an architectural pair that has long marked the religious and civic heart of the city. Together they show how different cultures coexisted in the same space for generations.
Entry is free and you can climb the stairs to reach the observation platform. The staircase is narrow and some steps are uneven, so comfortable shoes are important.
The bell in the upper chamber was cast on 29 July 1838 at the Accerboni brothers' foundry in Trieste, as two inscriptions record: one in Italian reading "F. & PAOLO ACCERBONI IN TRIESTE" and one in Ottoman Turkish dated 1254 H. It is 0.74 m wide and 0.6 m tall, decorated with floral motifs, and now bears seven holes from German mortar fire in World War II.
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