Zimmertoren, Medieval fortified clock tower in Lier, Belgium.
Zimmertoren is a fortified clock tower in the center of Lier that rises roughly 20 meters above the surrounding buildings. The structure displays thirteen clock faces that indicate different astronomical measurements and time calculations, functioning as much more than a simple timepiece.
The tower was built before 1425 as part of Lier's defensive fortifications and served a protective role for the city for centuries. In 1930, it received its astronomical clock system from Louis Zimmer as a tribute to Belgium's centennial of independence.
Mechanical figures emerge from the tower every hour, and at noon a procession of Belgian historical personalities appears above the clock faces. These moving displays show how the city celebrates and honors its past through mechanisms rather than static monuments.
The tower can be explored across three levels, with the first containing the astronomical studio and the second housing the central mechanism room. Plan time to observe the complex workings of the clock and the moving figures, as they operate throughout the day.
The tower contains one of the slowest moving mechanisms in the world: a clock hand that completes a full rotation only once every 25,800 years to track Earth's axial precession. This extraordinary hand is visible to visitors, though no one will ever see it complete its journey.
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