Fountain "Clock of the World"

In the early 90s of the last century, a shopping mall "Okhotny Ryad" was built near Manezhnaya Square. It has been created for seven years. It includes a whole complex of fountains built in 1997 to celebrate the founding of the capital. Travelers who walk along Manezhnaya Square can admire the fountain called "World Clock" for a long time. - This is the main dome of the shopping complex. The TC itself is hidden under this dome and is underground. It was the clock that made this fountain a landmark.

Fountain device

It is presented in the form of a glass dome, which is a map of the earth's hemisphere with different cities. In 24 hours, it completely rotates around its axis and is a clock that determines the exact time indicated on the arch of cities. The granite barrier that surrounds the dome is divided into 24 parts. The vault with the barrier is separated by a moat, which is filled with water. If you look closely, you will notice that the top is actually spinning, but only very slowly.

It works like this: the vault has a layout of 24 quadrants and rotates around its axis. The ring of the lower quadrant is motionless, but is also divided into 24 parts, which represent the hours of the day. Each quadrant has 12 lamps representing 5 minutes. It remains to choose a city, look at the bottom number (hour), count the glowing lamps and multiply them by the number five (minutes). As a result, we will find out the current time in any city of interest.

It is worth noting that this fountain, like all Moscow sights, keeps some secrets in the history of its creation. So, for example, no one knows who became the author of this amazing structure. Most likely, the development belongs to the well-known design company Mosproekt-2, which, together with Zurab Tsereteli, brought to life the project of Manezhnaya Square and the shopping center Okhotny Ryad. The very top of the complex is crowned with a sculpture of George the Victorious, who fights with a serpent. This is a symbol of the capital, depicted on the city coat of arms. It is best to admire the fountain in the evening, when the backlight turns on. At this time, the map and the clock, and the dome itself are a fascinating spectacle in three-dimensional format.

The meaning of the sculpture crowning the dome of the fountain

The sculpture has a symbolic meaning and tells about one of the miracles performed by George. He saved from death not only the daughter of the king, but also the rest of the people living in the Lebanese mountains. George dealt with the snake that devoured the inhabitants.

In ancient times, George the Victorious was glorified as a protector of valiant warriors. During the reign of Dmitry Donskoy, George was famous as the patron of the city. A little later, his image was included in the outline of the coat of arms of the Russian state. Since 1995, St. George has been depicted in the symbolism of the Moscow coat of arms.
Fountain «Clock of the World» is one of the most visited fountain complex in the capital of the Russian Federation. «World Clock» all year round do not stop their movement.