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St. Peter’s Church – the oldest parish church in Zurich is also famous for its largest clock face in Europe. The clock face measures 8.7m in diameter. There are five bells dating from 1880 in the tower – the largest of which weighs over six tons without its clapper. The original 9th century foundation walls of the church can still be seen today beneath the chancel. Throughout the Middle Ages, the short spire with the windows was the home of the town watchman, whose duty was to look out the windows every 15 minutes for a fire. If he saw one, he would sound an alarm and hang a flag out of the window facing the fire. It seems to have worked – unlike so many European cities, Zürich never suffered a major fire.
Address: St. Peterhofstatt, 8001 Zurich
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 8am – 6pm, Wed 10am – 4pm, Sun 11am – 5pm
Direction: Tram 6, 7, 11. 13 or 17 to Rennweg Station
Phone: +41 44 211 60 57
Website: www.st-peter-zh.ch
Photo credit: Sean O’Neill (Flickr CC), Richard Bonnett (Flickr CC), Alan Cordova (Flickr CC)
