Saturday 2 April 2011

Palais de la Dynastie

The Palais de la Dynastie, also known as the Musée de la Dynastie, is in the Royal Quarter of Brussels.  This clock  above the archway is a 24 bell carillon.  The dial is decorated with 12 figures representing important people from history or folklore.  These figures move when the figure high above strikes the bell each hour. 

It is a Jacquemart clock or bellstriker clock.  The oldest known Jacquemart clock is in Dijon, France but there are many examples.  All have a human-like figure which moves, striking a bell to tell the time.
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4 comments:

  1. I love clocks like that! There's a clock similar to this in Frankenmuth, Michigan.

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  2. Looks like a lovely place to visit.

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  3. My one visit to Brussels, though overnight, was too short for much sightseeing. I arrived from Athens late afternoon, managed to have a wonderful meal in the square, feasting on mussels and steak tartar, then was off in the early AM for San Franciso.

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  4. @Scrappy Grams, I didn't know about the clock in Frankenmuth, but I've looked it up and now I realise a friend did tell me about the Bavarian Inn there. He forgot to mention the clock. :)

    @Odie, I think so too.

    @RNSANE, I've only ever had brief visits to Brussels, and always for work with no time to be a tourist.

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