In 1775 the Frenchman Chevalier visited Varna and described it as following: "There are approximately 16000 citizens, 12 mosques, 2 churches and 1 bell-tower built 20 years ago, on top of which a clock with a bell can be seen..." From these diaries it becomes obvious that even back in mid XVIII century there had been a city clock in Varna. That clock tower was located in the green grounds behind the present theatre and it was also used by firemen as their watchtower. How did the tower look like, was it made of wood or stones? We don't know. As we also don't know when exactly it had been destroyed. It could have happened in the years of the 1828 siege of the city or in the fierce fire in Varna during the Crimean War.
The idea to build an impressive city clock tower was accomplished in 1888
at the time when Krastyu Mirski was mayor of Varna. Varna municipality
assigned to architect Sava Dimitrievich the project of a stone fire tower
with a clock that should be 24 metres high. The construction site was carefully
chosen - the new clock tower in the city park and the Cathedral
formed the city centre boundaries of those times. The same year Concordia
theatre hall burnt out and another hall for meetings and theatre plays
was planned to be built close by the tower.
In two years' time the new clock tower and Saedinenie (Union) Hall were
ready and officially opened to visitors. Firemen used the tower since high
buildings were still rare and from top of it they could watch over the
entire city. At daytime they used coloured flags to signalize for fire
and at night signals were exchanged by lit lanterns. Those fire prevention
activities stopped in 1898, when the fire brigade was equipped with a telephone
line. The clockwork was purchased from England and the prominent revolutionary
Oton Ivanov fixed it on the tower. 
Though it remains unrevealed to people's glances, the clockwork itself
is a real masterpiece. It is quite strange that contrary to traditions
the name of the producing company was not inscribed on it. The whole system
is fitted in a big wooden "box" reached by a narrow winding staircase along
the stone walls. The dial-plate in front is used to control the pace of
the clock, as well as to correct it. Each fourth second a system of axles
and gears transmits the motion to the clock hands on the tower outside.
Instead of springs used in contemporary clocks, this clockwork mechanism
is driven by weights suspended in the middle of the tower. The winding
up is performed by the help of a simple crank arm of a huge drum besides
the main group of gear wheels, which winds the string with the hanging
weights. Another axle transmits the motion to the bell knocker at the tower
top. Till 1930 the bell had been measuring hours two times within an interval
of one minute. 
The watchmaker Oton Ivanov (who died in 1932) dedicated his life to the
clock tower. His son Oton Ivanov inherited his father's profession and
love and continued to maintain the clock until his death in 1976. His successor
today is Boyan Nikolov, an apprentice with Oton Ivanov since 1940 and thanks
to his cares the 100 year-old clock still shows the time accurately.
A couple of years ago the clock stopped and newspaper articles stated that it needed repair. However, the truth was that snow had been blown in the dial-plate thus hindering the movement of the clock hands. When the clock needs actual repair, its hands are manually moved so that citizens of Varna can always be on time.
After a long period of construction works the railway station and its clock
tower were finally finished in 1925. Pitel-Brauseweter Co. was the company
to carry out the entire railway station composition and it suggested that
a clock should be placed there, which was actually done in 1929.
Special thanks to Esin Halid for the translation of this page.