Le Gros-Horloge — Attraction in Rouen

⭐ 5/5 – Le Gros Horloge (The Great Clock of Rouen)

Most people walk by, snap a photo, and keep moving — but if you stop and truly look, you’ll discover one of the most extraordinary pieces of craftsmanship in France 🕰️✨. Every inch of Le Gros Horloge is filled with incredible detail: golden rays representing the sun, delicate engravings that trace time’s passage, and an elegant hand that glides across a deep blue sky dotted with stars.

What makes it truly unique is its astronomical design — it not only tells the time, but also shows the phases of the moon, days of the week, and the cycle of the sun 🌕☀️. It’s like a living calendar carved into history, reminding us of a time when timekeeping was both science and art.

Standing beneath it, you can almost feel the centuries pass — the hum of medieval life, the merchants below, the monks who once tuned its mechanism. It’s not just a monument; it’s a conversation with time itself.

🧭 Tips for Visitors ✅ Take your time — admire the fine details before and after taking your photo. ✅ Visit the clock tower museum to see the mechanism up close and enjoy amazing views over Rouen. ✅ The surrounding street, Rue du Gros-Horloge, is one of the city’s most picturesque walks.

Pause, look up, and let yourself be amazed — this isn’t just a clock, it’s a masterpiece that still beats with Rouen’s heart.

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The Gros-Horloge, Great-Clock, is a fourteenth-century astronomical clock in Rouen, the capital city of the region of Normandy, in France. The clock is installed in a Renaissance arch crossing the Rue du Gros-Horloge. The mechanism is one of the oldest in France, the movement was made in 1389. Construction of the clock was started by Jourdain del Leche who lacked the necessary expertise to finish the task, so the work was completed by Jean de Felain, who became the first to hold the position of governor of the clock. The clock was originally constructed without a dial, with one revolution of the hour-hand representing twenty-four hours. The movement is cast in wrought iron, and at approximately twice the size of the Wells Cathedral clock, it is perhaps the largest such mechanism still extant. A facade was added in 1529 when the clock was moved to its current position. The mechanism was electrified in the 1920s and it was restored in 1997. The Renaissance facade represents a golden sun with 24 rays on a starry blue background. The dial measures 2.5 meters in diameter. The phases of the moon are shown in the oculus of the upper part of the dial. It completes a full rotation in 29 days. The weekdays are shown in an opening at the base of the dial with allegorical subjects for each day of the week. A must see, for any tourist in...

The Gros-Horloge, Great-Clock, is a fourteenth-century astronomical clock in Rouen, the capital city of the region of Normandy, in France. The clock is installed in a Renaissance arch crossing the Rue du Gros-Horloge. The mechanism is one of the oldest in France, the movement was made in 1389. Construction of the clock was started by Jourdain del Leche who lacked the necessary expertise to finish the task, so the work was completed by Jean de Felain, who became the first to hold the position of governor of the clock. The clock was originally constructed without a dial, with one revolution of the hour-hand representing twenty-four hours. The movement is cast in wrought iron, and at approximately twice the size of the Wells Cathedral clock, it is perhaps the largest such mechanism still extant. A facade was added in 1529 when the clock was moved to its current position. The mechanism was electrified in the 1920s and it was restored in 1997. The Renaissance facade represents a golden sun with 24 rays on a starry blue background. The dial measures 2.5 meters in diameter. The phases of the moon are shown in the oculus of the upper part of the dial. It completes a full rotation in 29 days. The weekdays are shown in an opening at the base of the dial with allegorical subjects for each day...