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The Orloj: Prague’s Astronomical Clock
Or: Another reason why I love this city
I fell in love with Prague on the drive from the airport. In an incredibly beautiful city, her Old Town Hall, which stands in the aptly named Old Town Square, is perhaps her most striking building.
In 1338, John the Blind, Count of Luxembourg and King of Bohemia granted the citizens of Prague the privilege of having their own district council. Through a levy on wine and appropriating a few houses, the Town Hall was built, and it remains the oldest institution of Czech self-government.
The Old Town Hall’s famed astronomical clock — the Orloj — dates to 1410. In a city of legends, the clock has a few of its own, including that should the clock ever fall into disrepair, the city will suffer dire consequences.
The Orloj was a collaboration between the clockmaker Mikulas of Kadan and the astronomer Jan Sindel, with the clock being displayed in 1410. In 1490, it was repaired and modified by the clockmaker Hanuš, who added the calendar dial to the pre-existing clock and astronomical dials. Another legend, this one more gruesome, holds that when he had finished, the city council…
