Gadang Clock is the name for a clock tower situated in the heart of Bukittinggi, West Sumatra Province. Clock Tower is the name given to the Minangkabau society’s clock tower building, because it has a clock tower was a “large sieve”, or “large-hour” (hour gadang = clock; “large sieve” means big in the Minangkabau language).
In such a phenomenal building clock tower is called the Clock Tower was built at the time, so since the founding of the Clock Tower has become the focus of every person. It also resulted in the Clock Tower of land used as markers or markers of Bukittinggi and also as one of the icons of West Sumatra province.
Clock Tower built in 1926 by architect Guido AMEH Sutan Yazid. This clock was a gift from the Dutch Queen to Rook Maker, Controleur (City Secretary) Bukittinggi in the first Government of the Netherlands East Indies. The first stone laying of this clock is the first son Rook Maker, who was then 6 years old.
Ground-plan (footprint of buildings overlooking the following steps towards the market) from the Clock Tower is 13×4 meters while the height of 26 meters.
Clock Tower was moved mechanically and consists of four hours / four-face clock overlooking the four compass directions with every 80 cm in diameter clock face.
This clock tower has undergone several changes in the form at the top. At first peak of this clock tower is round and above it stood the statue of a rooster. We went to colonize Indonesia, the Japanese occupation government to change it to shape the top of pagoda. At the time of independence, the shape changed again into ornaments Minangkabau traditional house.
Construction of the Clock Tower was supposed to spend a total development cost Gulden 3000, the cost of belonging to the size of a fantastic time. But it paid off with the famous Clock Tower as well as markers of land which became a symbol or icon of Bukittinggi. Clock Tower is also specified as the zero point of Bukittinggi.
There is a uniqueness of Roman numerals on the face of this Clock Tower. When the writing of Roman numerals usually include the symbol “IV” to symbolize the number four roman, the Clock Tower was marked with the number four roman symbol “IIII” (usually IV).