Oldest Public Clock in Paris

Can you imagine a time when clocks did not exist? You had to read a sun dial or listen to the church bells...

In 1370, King Charles V commissioned the first mechanical clock to be set up on the tower of the Conciergerie, which had been the initial royal residence before moving to the Louvre Palace.

Two centuries later, it was modified as per the request of King Henri III with allegorical figures representing the Law and Justice, as the Conciergerie was then housing the “Palais de Justice”.

This is the version one can admire now with its vibrant colors and ornaments. It had a great facial ten years ago!