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Old Yerevan Clock and Crows Foiled Many Romantic Rendezvous

By Anna Babajanyan

Every day, Yerevan residents walk past the clock affixed to the Armenian Government building facing Republic Square.

One might think that the massive clock face has been a fixture for decades in the Armenian capital, chiming out the hours of the day for all to hear.

But not many realize that before the current clock was installed some fifty years ago there was an older clock affixed to the building then housing the Yerevan Police Department.

We know that in September1891, the Yerevan Duma decided that city residents needed to know the correct time and that a large tower clock was the solution.

Earlier that, city authorities sought out Friedrich Winter, a famous clock maker in Petersburg. He suggested five models and the city fathers picked one costing 875 rubles.

875 rubles was a lot of money at the time, so LevonTigranyants (Yerevan mayor 1894-1895) decided to hold a benefit drive to raise money for the clock. City residents chipped in and the clock was purchased.

Getting the clock to Yerevan, however, was a long and complex process. Even Winter warned about the risks of transporting the huge clock such a distance. His warnings were prophetic. Along the way, the glass clock face was smashed due to negligence. The clock finally reached Yerevan and was installed on the police building in a special protective shield.

Architect Pogribni made renovations to the tower before the clock with its 122 centimeter diameter was installed. The clock’s hands (40 and 45 centimeters) remained opened to the elements. Old-timers would relate how the city’s crows would perch on the clock’s hands and move them into showing the wrong time.

People would joke that lovers would miss their rendezvous due to the mischievous games of the clock. The situation got so bad that the police posted a special guard nearby to occasionally fire in the air to scare off the pesky crows.

When the Yerevan Police Building was torn down, the clock was removed and is now stored at the Yerevan History Museum. Sadly, the old clock no longer tells time.

Photos and information graciously provided by Hermineh Sargsyan and MarinehNavasardyan, researchers at the Yerevan History Museum.

 

Comments (1)

Ed
There Hetq, Thank you for this interesting story. Apparently former official , Mr Arthur Bagdasiaryan , owns a can businesses and he hasn't paid the salaries for moths and the workers and there families are in a very bad situation . Could you please investigate this ?

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