ASTRONOMICAL CLOCK OF PRAGUE
600 Years of Strolling Planets and Apostles
What
is a clock that can tell your fortune, but not tell the time? That
unique
mechanical
marvel of the medieval age, the Astronomical Clock.
Created in a age when knowing the time of day was perhaps less important
than knowing how the planets were aligned, one of the most famous examples
can be found on the edge of the main square of Prague in the Czech Republic.
The "Orloj" Astronomical Clock in the tower of the
Old Town Hall in Prague just celebrated it’s 600th birthday.
The
city’s old Town Hall Tower was first built in the 14th century
and in Prague’s historical penchant for rebuilding itself newer
on old, a later Gothic facade was added in the 15th Century when the
clock tower was joined to a private house next door. The town hall
and the clock tower are open for tourists, with a look at the
working
of the curious mechanical machine and panoramic views of Prague from
the 200 ft tall tower, with an overhead peak on the narrow Celetna Ulice,
the main town square with its centuries of architecture and places
of interest.
The most
famous feature of Prague’s Astronomical Clock is the “glockenspiel” figures
of the 12 Apostles who parade in a mechanized procession once every hour
past the windows above the clock, each turning to look before moving
on as the skeleton representing Death rings the chime. “The Walk
of the Apostles” is one of Prague's most popular attractions. but
the apostle feature wasn't added until the 19th Century. The original
clock was born in 1410, designed by the clock-maker Mikulas of Kadan
and Jan Ondrejuv, a professor of mathematics and astronomy at Prague’s
Charles University.
The original astrolabe mechanisms representing the movements of the sun,
moon, zodiacal constellations, and those major planets known at the time,
designed 600 years ago still operate, but the Orloj clock was rebuilt
70 years later by the legendary clock master Hanus, when the Gothic façade
was added in an expansion of the town hall. A legend tells that the Councilors
of Prague, in order to have the best of its kind, had the master craftsman
blinded so he could not build another, and in revenge, just before he
died, Hanus damaged his own creation and cursed the clock, so that all
those who have repaired it have either died or gone mad.
Possibly the worst curse to befall the clock was the Second World War.
On the last day of the war in 1945, the German Nazi army on the edge
of defeat in the last Soviet offensive of the war shelled the old town
in a barrage of artillery. Much of the old Town Hall burnt to the ground
with heroic efforts of the townspeople to save the tower and their beloved
city symbol. The metal mechanisms of the old clock survived and the wooden
figures of the original apostles were recreated by local woodcarver Vojtech
Sucharda.
On the clock
itself, you’ll notice that the sun goes around the
Earth along with the other celestial bodies. Four figures at the clock
dial represent Prague’s medieval society – to the left side
of the dial Vanity admires himself in a mirror and a Miser clutches his
bag of gold. On the right side, Death rings his bell and a Piper shakes
his head. Under the clock is the Calendar (a replacement for the original
now found in the Prague Museum of History) painted by Josef Manes in
1805 with the figures of chronicler, an angel, an astronomer and a philosopher.
The Clock Tower itself is decorated with the coats of arms of Prague's
medieval noble fathers and symbols of royalty. Finally, after the Apostles
have finished their hourly blessing of the city, a rooster crows.
The Orloj Astronomical Clock is easy enough to find in Prague, just off the main square on the way to the Karlsbruck Bridge, lined with much larger figures of the apostles and the castle (see Prague Castle and St Vitus Cathedral). The Town Hall requires a modest entry fee allowing a climb to the top of the tower up the stairs, or you can take the elevator. If you don't want the upstairs view, you can gather with a street full of others to watch the hourly rounds of the St Paul and the Holy brethren. © Bargain Travel Europe
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These articles are copyrighted and the sole property of Bargain Travel Europe and WLPV, LLC. and may not be copied or reprinted without permission. Photos courtesy prague.net
SEE ALSO:
STRASBOURG CATHEDRAL ASTRONOMICAL CLOCK
