The Black Tower Educational Trail
Welcome to the steepest educational trail in the Czech Republic. You are about to climb a lot of stairs to get to the top. Along the way there will be 6 stops where you will learn about the history of the most famous monument in Klatovy.
Stop 1
Origin of the Tower
In the middle of the 16th century, Klatovy was one of the richest towns in the Bohemian Kingdom. However, it lacked a representative landmark. In 1547, the construction of the watchtower was commissioned to Master Antonín (perhaps originally an Italian), who completed the stone part in 1555. The trusses were installed by Klatovy Master Pityha in 1557. The roof was made of copper, and on the top, there was a weathervane in the shape of an archer with a drawn bow and arrow.
The tower became an important part of the town's defence system and fire protection.
Dimensions:
Base width: 9.88 m x 10.57 m
Height of the viewing gallery: 48 m
Total height: 81.6 m
Width of masonry on the ground floor: 3 m, on the top floor: 2.7 m.
A medieval torture chamber is below you.
Interrogations were conducted by the town's bailiff, who gave orders to the executioner. The execution was attended by two councillors as witnesses and a scribe who recorded the interrogation in the so-called books of bad luck. They all entered the torture chamber through a special door from the courtroom in the town hall.
The executioner and his henchmen brought the prisoners from the cells by a staircase hidden under the stone staircase that you have just come up on.
Torture was used only in very serious cases for which there was the possibility of the death penalty (murder, robbery, arson...) and the accused did not want to confess.
If you want to climb our tower, you need strength in your legs. If you use your head, you can do something more. You can check your answers at the top. Don't forget to count the stairs; so far there have been 43.
What's below you on the first floor of the tower? Shuffle the letters to find out: TURETOR CHAMBER
Have you figured it out yet? So merrily on to the next stop. It's just 19 stairs.
Task 1
History of the Tower and its Many Appearances
Stop 2
Over the centuries, the town of Klatovy was repeatedly affected by large fires, which completely changed its appearance. The appearance of the watchtower has also changed.
The original roof was destroyed in a fire in 1579. A new one was built two years later, but it was not as expensive. It was only covered with white sheet metal.
The roof burned again in 1615. The new roof was only covered with shingles due to a lack of money.
In 1689, the whole town and the roof of the tower were again destroyed by fire. It was not repaired until 1727. The roof was raised by four feet (7 metres) compared to the original. A gilded cupola with a weathervane and a gilded eagle was installed.
The tower completely burned down again in 1758. It was repaired four years later.
The last fire destroyed the roof of the tower in 1810. It was then given its new form with two round towers, but covered only with shingles.
In 1854, the roof was found to be in a very poor condition and needed to be completely repaired. From the three proposals submitted, the councillors chose a roof design similar to the original in terms of a slender gable with four dormers.
On October 26, 1870, a terrible storm hit Šumava, knocking down the entire tower truss (the place of impact is marked in the pavement of the square). The new roof was built in 1872.
In 1966, the roof was overhauled, and in 1976, the stone structure was completely repaired—pulling down the tie rods, pairing, and replacing some of the stones.
Task 2
If you put the correct numbers into the sequence of numbers, you will get the year the tower started being built:
5, 10, ?, 20, 25, 30 • 2, ?, 8, 16, 32, 64 • 13, 11, 9, ?, 5, 3, 1
It's 64 stairs to the next stop. Take a good look at the clock on your way up; you'll find the task on the next floor.
Stop 3
The Clock
t was unthinkable that this magnificent tower would be without a clock. It was the so-called Old Bohemian astronomical clock, which had a dial divided into 24 parts (the so-called 24-hour clock). It had only one hand and showed how much time was left until sunset, when the new day began. The time was struck on a cymbal placed at the top of the tower.
The black square face of the tower clock measures 426 cm × 426 cm. The length of the raffia (hands) is 380 cm and 360 cm. The hands of the clock show the hours, as was the custom until the end of the 19th century—the longer one shows the hours, the smaller one the minutes.
The tower clock strikes quarters on a smaller bronze cymbal suspended in the top of the truss; the whole clock is struck first with a hammer on the bell and then the same number of beats on the larger cymbal in the top.
The clock is driven by four stone weights. The clock had to be wound by hand once a day until 2004, when an automatic winding machine was installed.
The current 24-hour hour clock was made in 1899, according to a drawing by the Klatovy historian Prof. Ferdinand Vaňek. The decorated square measures 435 x 435 cm. In the centre are the emblems of the town of Klatovy.
The new clockwork was made by Klatovy mechanic Jan Bošek. It was placed on the tower in 1855, and it is still functional today. Its dimensions are: width 208 cm, height 49 cm, and depth 71 cm. The pendulum is 167 cm long.
The black square face of the tower clock measures 426 cm × 426 cm. The length of the raffia (hands) is 380 cm and 360 cm. The hands of the clock show the hours, as was the custom until the end of the 19th century—the longer one shows the hours, the smaller one the minutes.
The tower clock strikes quarters on a smaller bronze cymbal suspended in the top of the truss; the whole clock is struck first with a hammer on the bell and then the same number of beats on the larger cymbal in the top.
The clock is driven by four stone weights. The clock had to be wound by hand once a day until 2004, when an automatic winding machine was installed.
This astronomical clock is a bit different. Can you see what time it is?
Here’s a hint: The big hand tells the time on this clock.
Now take a deep breath and continue going upstairs. Just 23 stairs until your next task.
Task 3
Stop 4
The Bell
The current bell is the fourth; the previous ones melted down in the tower fires. In 1759, it was cast by the Italian bellmaker Peter Antonius Jacomini from Passau. He cast it in the ground in the courtyard of the adjacent Jesuit college.
The bell was given the same name as the previous one, Bartoloměj Ondřej, but locals in Klatovy call it Vondra.
Such a large bell is rung only by hand. The bell was rung by the tower keeper and his assistants.
The main mission of the bell was to warn the inhabitants of approaching enemies and fire. The announcement of the danger was made by striking the bell with the heart, the so-called striking.
The bell was rung on important religious and secular festivals, but also on important funerals.
The bell was not used during the socialist era.
In 1990, a group of Klatovy enthusiasts came together, and the bell started ringing again thanks to their efforts; its sound can still be heard in the surroundings today. It rings regularly, eight times a year, on important church and state holidays.
The bell had a very turbulent history, which you can learn about in detail on the website of the Klatovy Bell Ringers.
The Vondra bell is one of the 20 largest bells in the Czech Republic.
Weight of the bell: 3,915 kg
Weight of the heart: 131 kg
Lower diameter of the bell in the wreath: 195 cm
Height of the bell: 145 cm; 180 cm including the crown.
It has a very deep sound and is tuned to F sharp.
The bell is made of an alloy called bell metal. What elements does it consist of?
Copper and zinc, copper and tin, or iron and carbon?
Task 4
Stop 5
What the Visitor Doesn’t See
Task 5
And you're at the top! How many stairs did you have to climb? And how high is it? You'll have to do the math. At the entrance to the tower, the altitude is 412 metres above sea level. What altitude are you at now? The picture of the tower should help.
In the next room, the last task and the correct answers are waiting for you.
Stop 6
Tower keeper
One of the most important duties of a tower keeper was to keep watch over the town and its immediate surroundings to see if enemy troops were approaching or if there was a fire.
If the tower keeper or his assistant saw a fire, he gave a signal by striking the bell and, at the same time, hanging a flag during the day or a lighted lantern at night on the side of the tower where he saw the fire. The tower keeper was in communication with the town officers by means of a simple device used to communicate remotely and later by telephone in 1877.
The tower keeper had to perform guard duty day and night. At night, he was obliged to sound a melody in all four cardinal directions every hour to make it clear that he was performing his duty. The timing of the bugle playing varied over the centuries, but the sound has always been associated with the city and has always given the residents this message: "You can sleep easy; I'm awake!"
The tower keeper's room was inside the tower. He and his family lived here in an area of less than 15 m2. Over 400 years, there were a number of different tower keepers, some of whom we have information about, while others have been forgotten.
In 1901-1932, Antonín Kubík was the tower keeper, and together with his wife, he brought up six children here.
In 1932, he retired, and his son Antonín took over his service. He served as the tower keeper until 1963. Every day, he bugled a melody from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. He played it as he had heard his father play it, who in turn had heard his predecessor blow it.
When he retired, the residents missed the sound of the bugle. Antonín recorded it on a tape recorder, and the bugle was heard again from the tower. And it can still be heard today, although the current one was recorded by another bugler in 2004.
How many times a day did the tower keeper bugle the melody if it was bugled every hour from 10 o'clock in the evening until 1 a.m. in each cardinal direction?
Task 6
History of the tower in numbers
16th Century
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1547 start of construction
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1557 stone construction was finished (gallery at the height of 45.5 metres)
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1557 truss was completed and the bell hung
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1579 town fire, the tower burnt down and the bell melted
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1581 the new truss was made
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1583 hanging of the new bell
17th Century
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1615 fire in the town burns the truss of the tower
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1679 consecration of the bell named Ondřej Bartoloměj (better known as Vondra)
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1689 town fire, the truss of the tower burnt down
18th Century
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1727 a new truss with two towers
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1758 fire burnt down the whole tower, the bell melted
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1759 a new bell was hung, consecrated with the name of Ondřej Bartolomej (Vondra)
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1762 new truss
19th Century
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1810 fire burnt down the truss
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1811 a new truss with two towers
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1854 raising of the stone construction for the purpose of cleaning the clock - gallery at 48 m height
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1855 installation of a new clock engine and 4 black dials; a new truss - slender geometric pyramid, 4 turrets in the corners of the gallery
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1870 a wind storm knocked down the whole truss of the tower
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1872 a new truss similar to the previous one
20th Century
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1904 new clock faces
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1938 the bell burst
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1940 removal, repair and reinstallation of the bell
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1942 replacement of the wind-damaged weathervane
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1965 repair of the truss, new roof covering
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1976 repair of masonry, astronomical clock and clock
¨21st Century
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2004 installation of automatic winding of the clockwork
Solution
Task 1
What is found below you on the first floor?
Solution: TORTURE CHAMBER
Task 2
The year of construction of the tower?
Solution: 1547
Task 3
What time does the astronomical clock show?
Solution: 12:10
Task 4
What is the bell metal made of?
Solution :Copper (78%) and tin (22%)
Task 5
What altitude are you at now?
Solution: 460 meters above sea level
Task 6
How many times a day did the tower keeper bugle the melody?
Solution: 16 times
How did you do? Did you have everything correct? Well done. Now you just have to find out how far you can see from the tower.
Texts: Jiřina Adámková
Graphics: Lukáš Dio
Illustrations: Jaroslava Papežová
Translation: Gabriela Kaňáková, Pavel Koura, Šárka Lesná
Photographs: Karel Nováček, Jiří Strašek, Klatovy Bell Ringers, MKS Klatovy (City Cultural Center, Klatovy), archives: the Kubik family archives
Project Coordinator: Milada Čermáková