Prague Astronomical Clock
The Astronomical Clock is a prominent feature of Old Town Square. It is located on the southern wall of Prague Town Hall and is such a captivating sight that it has possibly become the most photographed landmark by tourists visiting the Czech Republic's beautiful capital city. The clock is unique in that it displays the position of the sun and moon in the sky, as well as other astronomical information, in addition to the 24 hours of the day.
However, this intricate, historic clock, which is over 600 years old, has more than just the dial that makes it special. A sophisticated mechanism that propels the 12 apostles into motion when the clock strikes the hour drives several animated figures that appear in the procession of the apostles inside Prague's famous clock. It also has a calendar dial with twelve medallions representing the year's months.
The clock's oldest component was created in 1410 by Jan Sindel, an astronomy professor at Charles University in Prague, and clockmaker Mikulá of Kada. The dial is a type of astrolabe, with symbols for the sun, moon, and signs of the zodiac, which were significant in Prague in the fifteenth century, clearly visible inside the black circle. The golden numbers in the blue circle on the clock represent the hours of the day, and you can also see the aurora or dawn (on the left) and sunset (on the right).
The four figures surrounding the clock are allegories for vanity (a man holding a mirror), greed (a businessman with a bag of money), death (a skeleton with an hourglass), and extravagance (a skeleton with an hourglass) (a Turk prince playing the mandolin). They begin to dance when the clock strikes the hour: the vain man looks in the mirror, the greedy man moves his bag, the skeleton shakes the hourglass to indicate the time, and the extravagant man moves his head. Meanwhile, hundreds of tourists are captivated by Prague's Old Town Square.
The apostles' procession, in which the windows open and the figures approach one by one, is taking place at the same time as this entire spectacle. St. Paul with a sword and a book is visible in the left window, followed by St. Thomas, St. Jude Thaddeus, St. Simon, St. Bartholomew, and St. Barnaby. While in the right window, we see St. Matthias, St. John, St. Andrew, and St. James, along with St. Peter holding the keys to the heavenly kingdom. A rooster crows, followed by the ringing of bells, signal the conclusion of the spectacle as the windows finally close.
On the lower part of the clock, there are 12 medallions representing the months of the year, designed by Czech painter Josef Mánes, as well as four other figures: a philosopher, an angel, an astronomer, and a chronicler.
Year of construction: 1410
Total Height: 228 feet (69.5 m)
Location: Prague, Czech Republic
