Clock in the Old Town Square in Prague: photo, description, history

A clock in the Old Town Square in Prague, Prague Orloj - an astronomical clock installed on the south wall of the Old Town Hall building, is a popular and well-known all over the world landmark of the Czech capital.

History of construction and improvements

The clock in Prague on the Old Town Square, whose history dates back more than 600 years, was first mentioned in the chronicles for 1402, but already in 1410 they are replaced by new mechanical ones with astrolabe made by the Kadan master Mikulas. They were made according to the project of the scientist-astronomer J. Shindel.

In 1490, during repairs, the watches were improved: calendar discs were completed, and Gothic figures were installed on the facade. The work was conducted by the master Hanoush.

In the following years, the restoration was carried out many more times, because due to the inexperience of the caretakers who served them, the chimes sometimes stopped themselves.

In 1552 the restoration of the watch movement was done by the master Ya. Taborsky.

The following improvements were made in the 17th century, when the time-honored mechanism was transferred, some figures were installed, as well as the signs of the phases of the moon.

History of the restoration of watches

In 1778, the authorities of Prague decided to dismantle the mechanism for scrap metal because of the lack of finance for its repair. The watchmaker was the rescuer of the local watchmaker J. Landesberger, who in 1791 repaired them free of charge to preserve this landmark for future generations. However, because of poor care, the astrolabe began to work badly, and it could not be repaired. To the mechanism were added the figures of the apostles.

In the middle of the XIX century the chimes again wanted to make out. The next rescuers were the watchmakers L. Heinz, C. Danek and R. Božek, who collected funds for the reconstruction of the watch. During the restoration, R. Božek made a chronometer, which now controls the mechanism (the clock lags only 0.5 minutes a week, which is a good result). Since those times, as now, the repair work of the mechanisms of Orloja is carried out by Heinz.

In 1945 the Prague chimes were badly damaged by the fascists during the shelling of this part of Prague with anti-aircraft guns. All the wooden parts were burnt, the dial was badly damaged.

Only by 1948 the clockwork was restored, and Orla began to work as before. All the wooden figures were made anew by the carver V. Suhard, and their originals, which partially survived the war, are now exhibited in the museum of Prague.

Since then, the clock in Prague on the Old Town Square (photo below) has become a famous landmark of the capital of the Czech Republic. Masters were able to restore almost 75% of the original parts of the watch movement.

Hours in Prague on the Old Town Square: description

The astronomical clock consists of several parts, the main of which are:

• Astronomical disks, which determine the position of the Sun and Moon in the sky, showing some details of astronomy, have a zodiacal ring;
• "The course of the Apostles" is a mechanism that drives the moving mechanical figures of the apostles and characters every hour;
• A dial with medallions that works like a calendar and shows months.

Astrolabe with the help of a clock mechanism indicates time on several systems:

• Babylonian, in which at different times of the year there is a different duration of an hour;
• Old Bohemian (using swabacher numbers);
• Central European - shows Roman numerals;
• Star time (Arabic numerals).

Unlike other Prague chimes, the famous clock on the Old Town Square in Prague is not translated for summer time, so half of the year they show inaccurate time (per hour lag behind the European).

The calendar dial is decorated with 12 medallions, each of which represents sketches from the rural life of the Middle Ages.

What do the astronomical clock show?

The clock on the Old Town Square in Prague can be called a small planetarium, which shows the state of the universe. With the help of mechanical astrolabe, although it was built in the Middle Ages, one can see the position of the Sun and the Moon.

The image of the Earth (blue circle) and some part of the sky (top) represent the background. Four moving parts rotate on the disks: the ring of zodiac signs and the outer, images of the Sun and the Moon.

In the afternoon the Sun moves on a blue background, and at night - on black. In the hours of dawn and evening twilight - over the red background area. To the left of the horizon is written avrora (dawn) and ortus (sunrise), right - occasions (sunset) and crepusculum (twilight).

The Golden Sun moves around the circle of zodiacal signs and shows with the help of an arrow and a gilded hand for a certain time:

• When referring to Roman numerals we can see the local Prague time;
• The position of the luminary on the curved gold lines determines the Babylonian time;
• On the outer ring, the hand shows the hours that have passed since sunset according to the Old Bohemian calculus;
• The movement of the moon takes place at an ecliptic with a greater speed, and the silver sphere shows the lunar phase.

The upper dial of Orloj

The clock on the Old Town Square in Prague attracts the attention of tourists every hour (the performance takes place from 9.00 to 21.00).

The upper dial is astronomical, on the side of it are 4 figures, which are located on both sides of the clock. These figures symbolize the despised vices of man:

• Death, reminiscent of the transience of being;
• Vanity, represented by a figure with a mirror;
• Greed (a Jew with a wallet);
• Turk, symbolizing centuries of danger for the Habsburg empire, emanating from the Ottoman Empire.

Above the dial there are windows with doors, in which the figures of 12 apostles move alternately . On the movement of the Skeleton (Death), which pulls the rope, the appearance of the apostles in the window begins: St. Peter holds the key, St. Matei threatens with an ax, St. Paul holds a book, St. John - a cup, St. Jakub - a spindle, St. Shimon - saw, St. Tomasch - spear, St. Ondrej and Philip keep crosses, St. Bartholomew kneads the skin, St. Barnabash holds the scroll, and St. Tadeusz holds the papers under the arm in a folder.

The lower dial of Orloj

The clock on the Old Town Square in Prague also has a second dial - the zodiacal one (added in 1490), which is also decorated on two sides by figures: a chronicler, an angel, an astronomer and a philosopher.

In the outer circle of black there is a movable round part with signs of the zodiac pointing to the position of the Sun in the ecliptic. The signs are arranged and go in order counter-clockwise. A small gold star indicates the spring equinox.

On the zodiac dial, you can determine the sign of the zodiac, birthday, day and month of birth. However, at the town hall there is a copy of it, and the original (written by J. Manes in the 19th century) is exhibited in the Prague Museum of History.

During the presentation, all the figures and the 12 apostles move. At the same time the Turk always shakes his head, and the miser shows a purse. The final of the whole performance is a cock-crowing, announcing the beginning of a new hour.

Legends of Orloj

One of the legends relates to those times when the clock on the Old Town Square (Prague, Czech Republic) was still being built. Master Hanoush, who added a calendar dial to the chimes, so struck the city authorities with his skill and beauty of work, that they decided to deprive him of his vision, so that henceforth he would never be able to build a similar clock anywhere. The outraged master decided to commit suicide by hurling himself from the inside into Orloi's mechanism, after which the chimes stopped for several years due to damage. However, history denies this legend, the master Hanoush (really his name was Jan Rouge) really worked through the clockwork mechanism, and everything else is fiction.

Another legend says that when the clock stops, cataclysms in the city must necessarily occur. Such a stoppage occurred during the occupation of the Czech Republic by the fascists, which ended immediately in the Old Town Square when the Soviet troops destroyed the last German grouping in Prague on May 8, 1945.

One of the last stops Orloy occurred in 2001, followed by a massive flood that flooded the Czech capital (August 2002).

Prague Orloj: reviews and impressions

The chimes at Starometki Square are one of the main sights of Prague, attracting thousands of tourists who come in crowds every hour to watch a performance with moving figures.

At night, there are no representations, and Orloy employees are engaged in the restoration and renovation of mechanisms and figures in the tower. The clock requires daily care (lubrication mechanisms, etc.), for which these people are watching.

Many tourists who came to admire the clock in the Old Town Square in Prague, their responses are expressed with enthusiasm and enthusiasm. Orloj is located in the very center of Prague, in the square on which Christmas and other festive celebrations are arranged, fairs are held. There are also numerous restaurants and cafes with delicious pastries and national dishes.

Conclusion

In 2010, Prague's Orloj celebrated its 600th anniversary. In the city there were festive events dedicated to this event. All the past several hundred years the famous chimes attract many tourists to Prague, and they will remain popular for more than one century.

This place is especially beautiful in the New Year's holidays: in the center of the square, the largest Christmas tree in the city is set, and around it festive shows are organized, which, surrounded by medieval spiers and castles, resemble a fairy-tale and beautiful theatrical action.