Bern's Zytglogge has stood for around 800 years, and it kept changing jobs until it found its calling. It began as the city's western gate, then served as a defence tower, a prison and a fire station. The prison held only women who had relationships with clergy.

The clock came last, and it has never stopped performing. The mechanism dates to 1530. Four minutes before each hour, a jester announces the time too early, a rooster crows, and bears parade past, until Chronos flips his hourglass and a golden figure strikes the hour. Arrive early. The crowd gathers at an intersection, so watch the traffic.

VoiceMap's self-guided audio tours take you under the tower's arch, where windows retell Bern's history and old units of measurement hang on the walls. One tour places the tower among the Old Town's fountains and legends. The other follows the Old Town's waterways through time.