In fact, in western Bohemia near the borders of the Pilsen and Karlovy Vary regions, near the village of Bezvěrov, there is the largest sundial in the world. This sundial has the longest gnomon. The latter forms a perpendicular rod to the base of the clock, in the case of the giant Bezberov sundial, it is a steel transmitter tower 342 meters high. It thus surpassed the gnomon of the largest sundial from the 18th century in Jaipur, India (a gnomon "only" 27 meters high) by more than 315 meters. The clock shows the time between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on a dial made of almost three-meter Roman numerals made of sheet metal and placed in a meadow by the road towards the village of Krašov. The most accurate sundial shows the time during the spring and autumn equinoxes. The clock was put into operation on the day of the vernal equinox on March 20, 2018. Amateur astronomer and photographer Václav Sidorjak from Manětín came up with the idea while flying on his motorized parachute around the Krašov transmitter. In the sunshine, he noticed the long shadow that the 342-meter high transmitter casts on the surrounding meadows. He went to Mayor Bezvěrov with the idea of placing the clock. The mayor liked the idea, so it was only a small step towards implementation. That is, two years during which the municipality received a subsidy, had the numbers produced, had the correct "geometry" of the clock calculated, and arranged the parking lot with benches and explanatory boards. The West Bohemian branch of the Czech Astronomical Society was also involved in the preparation of the project. The village of Bezvěrov is located in the Manětín region of the dark sky, one of the three regions in Bohemia where astronomers have very good conditions for observing and photographing the night sky. This area was announced in September 2014 and is currently visited by both professional and amateur astronomers to observe skies that are less polluted by light smog. This world-unique sundial will certainly contribute to the promotion of Czech astronomy, the village of Bezvěrov and the Manětín region of the dark sky.
Some data about sundials at Bezvércov:
- height of the gnomon (transmitter) – 342 m
- the nearest Roman numeral is 197 meters from the mast
- farthest digit 266 meters
- height of digits 3 meters
- the area defined by the transmitter and the dial numbers is 2.8 hectares
- total costs amounted to 140 thousand crowns
49°59'44.010"N, 13°4'45.642"E
