Every day, a crowd gathers by the hour, and watches in keen anticipation as the minute hand crawls towards the XII at the top of the tower’s massive clock face. As the hypnotising toll of the tower resonates throughout the medieval city of Bern, cameras snap, and onlookers release a collective breath of awe and wonder as a posse of exquisite figurines, including a dancing jester, a cluster of parading bears and a gilded figure named Chronos perform and entertain the crowds below. In a city which seems to be lost in time, the Zytglogge’s astronomical clock has reminded Bern’s residents on the relativity of time for more than 500 years, by heralding the start of the next hour as time marches relentlessly on.

These mesmerizing chimes were what Einstein first heard on an evening in May 1905, and were what first inspired his breakthrough moment and the eventual completion of one of the most important papers in scientific history – the Theory of Relativity. Indeed, time seems to come to a stand-still as one gazes at the tower’s beautifully constructed façade, and listens to the rhythmic beating of Bern’s intact medieval core. As an iconic landmark, this unique UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site is a major tourist attraction that is worth a visit for all who visit the charming city of Bern.