The oldest public clock in Paris is mounted on the city’s courthouse, La Conciergerie. The Gothic palace that is the current courthouse used to be the royal residence of the French kings until the 14th century when it became a law court/prison. (It was where Marie-Antoinette was jailed during the French Revolution.) The clock was commissioned in 1371, but it was reworked in 1586 — the sculptures representing Justice and Law were added then — and the face of the clock was restored many times over the years. (The latest renovation took place in 2012.) The clock is quite a sight; it is gilded with 24-carat gold, and its bright blue and fleur-de-lis background is a showstopper.
