Europe's most beautiful clocks

Europe's most famous clock tower stands in London. Known affectionately as Big Ben, the tower is officially called Elizabeth Tower. Big Ben correctly refers to only the largest and heaviest of the five bells. The "Voice of Britain" tune played by the bells usually chimes every hour.

The Astronomical Clock at Prague's Town Hall dates from 1410 and is a Gothic masterpiece. Legend says that city authorities burned out clockmaker Mikulas of Kadan's eyes so he couldn't make similarly spectacular clocks for other countries, as he was being requested. Whether fact or fiction, it's certainly unique. The 12 apostles delight visitors with their puppet play.

The World Time Clock on Alexanderplatz is a more recent model. It was designed in East Germany by industrial designer Erich John and was presented to the public in 1969. Since then, it has become a popular meeting place for Berliners and tourists alike. At the top is a simplified model of our solar system, and the cylinder below shows the time in each of Earth's 24 time zones.

A less well-known but all the more interesting clock is located in Berlin's Europa-Center shopping mall. The 13-meter (43-foot) high chronometer from 1982 covers three floors. Here you can watch the flow of time. The level of green liquid in the large spheres on the left shows the hours, while the small spheres on the right count the minutes.

When it comes to clocks, Switzerland is a hot destination. The Zytglogge, the clock tower from 1530, is the landmark of the capital, Bern. On the hour, tourists can watch the figures depicting the golden hour.

This Renaissance masterpiece in the Strasbourg Cathedral was also built by Swiss clockmakers. The apostles and the four ages, personified as children, juveniles, adults and the elderly, start moving every day at 12:30 p.m. They all pass by a figure representing death.

Cuckoo clocks, alongside red Bollenhut bobble hats and cherry and chocolate gateau, are the symbols of the Black Forest in southwestern Germany. So it's no wonder that the world's largest cuckoo clock can be found here in Triberg. The movement alone weighs 6 tons. The cuckoo is impressive — at the full and half hour, the 4.5-meter (14-foot) wooden bird calls from its window on the first floor.

Two or three times a day, the glockenspiel figures make their big appearance at Munich City Hall. The life-size figures depict two events from Munich's city history: the wedding of Duke Wilhelm V. in 1568 and the coopers' dance, depicting their defiance after a devastating plague epidemic. While it may be historic, the glockenspiel is operated in a very modern way — with solar energy.

Designed by the art nouveau painter Franz Matsch, Vienna's best-known clock adorns a small bridge on the Hoher Markt square. In the course of 12 hours, 12 copper figures from Vienna's history cross the bridge. At noon, all the figures hold a musical parade, among them Empress Maria Theresa and composer Joseph Haydn. During Advent, there are Christmas carols at 5 p.m. and 6 p.m.

In Austria, the Clock Tower of Graz, located on the Schlossberg, is visible from afar. Its special feature is that the hour and minute hands are reversed. Originally, there was only one large hand for the hours so that it could be seen from a distance. Later, the small minute hand was added.

The astronomical clock on St. Mark's Square displays not just the time but also the current zodiac sign as well as the phases of the moon and the sun. Until the last restoration in 1998, the "Temperatore," the tower guard, lived in the tower with his family. Since 2006, the clock has been monitored digitally.

Although it's not exactly a real clock, the dragon heads in the central French city of Blois still keep time. Every half hour they appear at the windows and move in a terrifying way. Behind the facade is a museum that provides a glimpse into the history of magic since the father of modern magic, Jean-Eugene Robert-Houdin, was born in Blois in 1805.