The Prague Astronomical Clock

The magnificent astronomical clock is probably the most famous of the tourist attractions in the elegant and romantic city of Prague in the Czech Republic. Built in the 15th century it is today high on the "what to see" list of many visitors on a weekend city break or longer vacation. The clock is also known as the Prague Orloj and is situated on the old town hall tower.

History

The Prague clock wasn't built in a single piece but over several centuries. The first section, the basic clock and astronomical dial, was made in 1410 - almost 600 years ago. This clockface shows the time on a 24-hour dial as well as "Old Bohemian Time" - the number of hours since sunset. Curved golden lines indicate Babylonian style "unequal hours" - the time between sunrise and sunset divided into twelve hours. The length of these "hours" varies throughout the year as the days grow longer and shorter. The astronomical dial gives the position of the sun and moon in the heavens.

The second phase of the Orloj took place around 1490 when the lower calendar dial was added. At this time it was also redecorated with flamboyant Vladislav Gothic figures.

The moving figures were added in two phases. The first of these, including Death tolling the bell, were placed by the astronomical dial some time in the 17th century. The more famous figures of the 12 apostles who parade hourly were added during major repair work in 1865-1866. It was also at this time that the twelve golden zodiac medallions by Josef Manes were added.

Prague suffered heavily in the second world war and the town hall was burnt to the ground. After the war was over the original clock workings were carefully repaired and the Orloj restored to its original state.

Legend

There is a tale that the original clockmaker was blinded after its completion to prevent him from ever again producing anything as grand for a different city. In retaliation the - now blind - clockmaker scaled the tower and sabotaged his creation, putting it out of action for decades. This is similar to stories surrounding many great achievements worldwide over the centuries and is widely believed to be a myth.

Another story goes that should the figure of the cat ever catch that of the mouse it will signify the end of the world! Since the two figures are fixed, this could have simply been a metaphor for the expected longevity of the clock.


Today the Old Town Hall is the home of the Prague Tourist Information Centre and is conveniently situated for access from local hotel accomodation as well as being on the route of walking and sightseeing tours.