Oldest public clock in Paris

The clock that gives the Quai d’Horloge its name today is on the corner of the Boulevard du Paris. It is built into a tower that historians say dates back to the mid 1300s.  The clock was built by Henri le Vic, a German engineer who arrived in Paris in 1370 and installed in the tower by royal decree replacing bell that used to be rung for important times of the day. The clock kept time for the citizens of Paris to know when bars should be closed and when shops should be opened.

The King of France, Charles V , brought Henri le Vic from Lorraine and assigned him six sous parisis per day to establish the clock of the Palais de la Cité in Paris, as well as that of the castle at Montargis .