Fires

throughout its history, Ptuj has experienced several devastating fires. In 1684, a fire destroyed almost all the buildings and archives in the city, including the old clock tower and bells, which melted in the blaze. Consequently, in 1689, the city acquired an old tower clock from the Franciscans in Zagreb.

In 1705, the city was hit by another severe fire, after which the height of the city tower was allegedly reduced for safety reasons. According to a 1943 record by Balduin Saria, it was lowered by 20 feet, which calculates to 6.02 m, or an entire floor. There is no clear evidence to fully confirm this, as visual materials from that time do not show significant changes in height; unfortunately, very few images remain precisely because of the destructive fires. However, the roof structure was certainly renovated and likely lowered, as a transition between different bricks is visible on the 6th floor.

In 1744, a third major fire struck Ptuj again. Following this, the city was on the brink of financial collapse. Residents moved away, ruins were not rebuilt, and the city’s finances were exhausted. The city council began selling properties and limiting the free rights held by church officials. In a desire for protection against future fires, the residents erected a monument to St. Florian, the patron saint against fire and protector of firefighters, on today’s Town Square in 1745.