Spasskaya Tower, Medieval gate tower at Red Square, Russia
Spasskaya Tower rises 71 meters (233 feet) above Red Square and displays clock faces six meters (20 feet) wide on each side. The red brick walls frame the eastern gate of the Kremlin, through which visitors look onto the old fortress grounds.
Pietro Antonio Solari built the tower in 1491 as the main entrance to the Moscow Kremlin under Ivan the Great. Later, in the 17th century, craftsmen added the clock and the pointed Gothic roof that define the structure today.
The Kremlin chimes inside strike every hour and shape the rhythm of daily life in the capital. Muscovites hear the melody as a signal for important moments, especially at midnight on New Year's Day.
Guards stand at the gate, and parades pass through regularly, especially on holidays. The best view of the structure comes from the southern end of Red Square.
The red star on top rotates in the wind and holds an electric lamp at its center. Stalin had the imperial double-headed eagle removed in 1936 and replaced with this star, marking Soviet rule.
Location: Tverskoy District
Inception: 1491
Architects: Pietro Antonio Solari
Architectural style: Gothic art
Height: 71 m
Part of: Kremlin
Website: https://kreml.ru/ru/kremlin/towers/Spaskaya
GPS coordinates: 55.75250,37.62140
Latest update: December 4, 2025 23:00
Clock towers combine technical precision with architectural styles from different periods and cultures. These highly visible structures stand in city centers, university campuses and historic squares, where they structure public life. The collection includes varied examples: the 315 foot (96 meter) neo-Gothic bell tower at Westminster Palace in London, the 1,970 foot (601 meter) Royal Clock Tower in Mecca, the Spasskaya Tower on Red Square in Moscow, the 279 foot (85 meter) neo-Gothic Rajabai Tower in Mumbai, the medieval astronomical clock at Old Town Hall in Prague, the 13th century Zytglogge in Bern, the Giralda in Seville (originally an Almohad minaret), the 548 foot (167 meter) Philadelphia City Hall tower, the Peace Tower on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, the 308 foot (94 meter) Sather Tower at the University of California Berkeley, the Zimmer Tower in Lier, the Custom House Tower in Boston, the Mughal era Ghanta Ghar in Lahore, the Union Station clock tower in Waterbury, the Renaissance clock tower on St. Mark's Square in Venice, the Jam Gadang in Bukittinggi and the Jaffa Clock Tower in Tel Aviv. Many of these towers serve as urban landmarks and connect historic architecture with practical function. They frequently offer elevated viewpoints and display remarkable mechanical achievements in timekeeping.
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