The clock on the facade of the State Puppet Theatre in Stara Zagora has long been a symbol of the city. It was set in motion in 1977 and is unique on the Balkan Peninsula. The theatre recently shared details about the clock on its Facebook page after The Streets of Stara Zagora published beautiful photographs of it.

The clockwork was commissioned during the tenure of Vasil Apostolov as director of the theatre. The entire mechanism was designed and manufactured in Stara Zagora at the Beroe Robotics Plant. The intricate mechanism was crafted entirely by Eng. Blagoy Ivanov.

The puppets, which dance every hour from 8 AM to 8 PM, are actual puppets from the theatre’s repertoire. They were designed by the renowned Bulgarian artist and puppet designer Lyubomir Tsakev, who managed the Stara Zagora Puppet Theatre in 1981. The puppets were crafted by artists Emil Ivanov and Veselin Nedelchev in the theatre's studio. The decorative elements of the clock, including the gates, towers, and flags, were created by Emil Ivanov.

The music to which the puppets perform was composed by the famous Bulgarian composer Petar Stupel.

Clocks with such mechanisms are rare in Europe, the theatre notes.