The Clock Tower ( cnr, Сат кула, Sat kula; Turkish: Saat Kulesi) of

Podgorica Podgorica (Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Подгорица, ; Literal translation, lit. 'under the hill') is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Montenegro, largest city of Montenegro. The city was formerly known as Titograd ...

Montenegro ) , image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Podgorica , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , official_languages = M ...

, is located at ''Bećir Beg Osmanagić square'', in the Stara Varoš neighborhood. It is one of the very few Ottoman landmarks that survived the

bombing of Podgorica in World War II The bombing of Podgorica in World War II was carried out by the Allies from 1943 to 1944 at the request of the Yugoslav Partisans. Background Between the two World Wars, Podgorica had a population of 13,000.

History

Sahat Kula was built in 1667, by Hadži-paša Osmanagić, a prominent citizen of

. It is a freestanding 19m tall stone

clock tower Clock towers are a specific type of structure which house a turret clock and have one or more clock faces on the upper exterior walls. Many clock towers are freestanding structures but they can also adjoin or be located on top of another buildi ...

. Its current

turret clock A turret clock or tower clock is a clock designed to be mounted high in the wall of a building, usually in a clock tower, in public buildings such as churches, university buildings, and town halls. As a public amenity to enable the community to ...

mechanism was made in 1890 by Pietro Colbachini foundry in

Bassano del Grappa Bassano del Grappa ( vec, Basan or ''Bassan'', ) is a city and ''comune'', in the Vicenza province, in the region of Veneto, in northern Italy. It bounds the communes of Cassola, Marostica, Solagna, Pove del Grappa, Romano d'Ezzelino, Campolongo ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

, after Podgorica was incorporated into

Montenegro ) , image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Podgorica , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , official_languages = M ...

(original mechanism was made in Austria). Around the same time, a metal cross was installed at the top of the tower, symbolizing transfer of the city from the Ottomans into the hands of

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

Montenegrins. The cross was made by Stevan Radović,

Lazar Radović Lazar Radović ( Cyrillic: Лазар Радовић; born 13 November 1937) is a Montenegrin retired footballer. Club career Radović played in Holland for Xerxes alongside Eddy Treijtel and Willem van Hanegem and was prepared to follow van Han ...

's grandfather. Today, Sahat kula is an important cultural monument of Montenegro, protected by law. The clock was renovated in January 2012, when new electric mechanism was installed, as old one is kept for historic significance only.Stara Varoš – srce stare Podgorice
FOS Media

References

{{Podgorica

Towers completed in 1667 Buildings and structures in Podgorica Clock towers in Montenegro Tourist attractions in Podgorica Ottoman architecture in Montenegro 1667 establishments in the Ottoman Empire