One of the most famous sights of Rouen is the Great-Clock (the Gros-Horloge). Before it found its current location, it traveled a lot: first, the clock adorned the city of Salisbury in England, in 1389 it was moved to Rouen and installed on the city tower, and only in 1529 it was moved to the place where it is still located – above the Arch.

The Great-Clock is impressive at first glance: it is decorated with real gold as well as blue, burgundy, and gold colors. The center of the clock face is decorated with the sun with 24 rays on a starry dark blue background, which symbolizes the sky. The Great-Clock in Rouen with an impressive diameter of 2.5 meters is said to be the oldest in France.

It isn’t just beautiful, but also symbolic – if you take a closer look at it, you can see a lot of interesting details. For example, one of its arrows comes out as if from under a shepherd's hat, and at its end, there is a Golden Lamb indicating the time with an outstretched hoof. The Lamb is a symbol of Rouen. It is also depicted on the coat of arms since in the Middle Ages the main source of urban income was the wool trade. The ornament of the Great-Clock has 15 images of this symbolic animal.

There is a silver ball above the clock face that shows the phases of the lunar cycle in the form of images of Roman gods: Diana-Monday, Mars-Tuesday, Mercury-Wednesday, Jupiter-Thursday, Venus-Friday, Saturn-Saturday, and Apollo - Sunday. In the lower part of the Great-Clock, there is a tableau where you can see the days of the week shown symbolically, in the form of pictures with people and animals. There is a small room located in the Arch next to the clock mechanism. Previously, it was the home of the watchkeepers. Now the Great-Clock is controlled by electronics, but visually it remains the same as several centuries ago.

The street where it is located, Rue du Gros-Horloge, is named after the Great-Clock. This is a pedestrian zone with souvenir shops, cafes, and crowds of tourists. The architecture of the street also deserves attention: it has its authentic Medieval appearance thanks to the carefully restored half-timbered houses.