The Orloj astronomical clock in Prague is the famous chimes. Prague Astronomical Clock Orloj

Hello friends! For modern man A watch is a completely ordinary mechanism that we have to interact with every day and many times. We are used to watches, and many of us have been using gadgets for a long time, with additional convenient applications. Today we will talk about a huge gadget from the Middle Ages. The astronomical clock in Prague shows more than just the time. And what else? What “applications” to clocks were important to people of past centuries, so much so that they “put” additional “programs” into the main clock of the city?

Attention! On January 9, 2018, the renovation of Orloj began in Prague. Now it will be possible to see them only in July 2018 (as the restorers plan).

Let's look at the unique mechanism of the famous Prague clock modern look. From the perspective of a user who is difficult to surprise with technical innovations. Moreover, a new product that has worked for 6 hundred years.

Model description

The Czechs call the Prague chimes Pražský orloj - Prague Orloj and also the Old Town Orloj, since the clock is located on the town hall building. Accordingly, an orloy is an unusual clock mechanism with additional programs.

In addition to the time, this medieval clock shows:

• calendar data (current year, month, day)
• time of sunrise and sunset of the luminaries (Sun and Moon)
• position of zodiac signs
• Moon phases
• The chimes interface includes a demonstration of time in three popular notation systems: Old Prague, Babylonian and Latin
• the model is an organizer. It includes important holidays and events of the year. The clock will remind you of them.

Additional features:

• ability to check time in 24 and 12 hour mode
• The watch includes 6 important “video clips” for people of the Middle Ages, warning against the main sins, reminding us of what awaits us all Last Judgment and you need to prepare for it every day of your life.

Note:

The watch was made in the 15th century.
Number of copies 1 (one).

Even now, in the age of advanced technology, the design of the Prague Astronomical Clock is amazing. You can imagine how it impressed the residents of medieval Prague.

Here are some reasons why the Prague Astronomical Clock is always mentioned among the city's most important attractions.

• The clock has been working for 6 centuries.

To make this fact easier to understand, let’s compare:

America was discovered in 1492. The astronomical clock began working in 1410. Those. 80 years before the discovery of America. Russia at this time was emerging from under the Tatar-Mongol yoke.

• Some of the mechanism parts are still original, medieval, so the Prague Clock is a historical monument.
• If you wanted to know what it looks like antique device astrolabe, look. The Prague Astronomical Clock is just that - an astrolabe.

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Instructions for users

Describing the Prague chimes is not an easy task. Firstly, they are beautiful and it makes one wonder what to look at first and what to talk about. Secondly, all this beauty is attached to a mechanism consisting of many parts.

• Let's start with a large disk, in the center of which our planet Earth is depicted (11)
• On the same disk along the edge there are signs in Gothic script that denoted Old Bohemian times (1)
• Then there are Roman numerals. This is a familiar dial. Shows German time (2)
• Then come the Arabic numbers - 1, 2, 3, etc. They show Babylonian time (3)
• The dial of a modern watch has 12 digits. On Prague clock 24 (12+12 hours)
• Noon Above - XII (8)
• Midnight Below – XII (13)
• The left side of the dial shows the time from 12 midnight to 12 noon.
• The right half shows the time from 12 noon to 12 midnight.
• The blue color of the dial indicates daylight hours.
• Orange - dawn.
• Arcs labeled ORTUS and OCCASUS indicate sunrise (5) and sunset (10)
• Brown (dark) - night time, when the sun is hidden below the horizon (7)
• Upper (small disk) - shows the Zodiac (9)
• Zodiac signs move in a circle and along their own axis, completing a full phase.
• The arrow with the image of the Sun shows the time and what sign the Sun is in now ( diurnal movement Zodiac) (4)
• Arrow with the Moon - shows what sign the Moon is in now (6)
• The photo shows 9 o'clock in the morning. The Sun is in Libra, the Moon is on the border of Capricorn and Aquarius.
• The Moon Ball has a separate rotating mechanism that shows the phases of the Moon.
• The arrow with an asterisk indicates the day of the vernal equinox. (12)

The entire disk and arrows rotate, corresponding to the real movement of celestial bodies across the sky. The clock indicates the position of the Sun, Moon, month and Zodiac sign. Those. Orloy is not only a clock, but also a calendar.

It is this mechanism that is of unique value, because he is the only one in the world.

Watching “video clips”

From 9 am to 9 pm, every 60 minutes, tourists and residents of Prague witness a real performance.

Four figures located on the side of the clock begin to move.

• The first of them, Death, symbolizes the frailty of everything that exists.
• A figurine holding a mirror is Vanity.
• Greed squeezes your wallet.
• And finally, the last figure is a Turk - a symbol of the danger that emanated from the Ottoman Empire for many years.

The little performance begins with Death pulling the string and the ringing of a bell. Death looks at the Turk, who just shakes his head. Greed clutches his wallet tightly with his hands, and Vanity admires himself in the mirror.

At the same time, the four figures on each side of the lower clock begin to move. These watches are also interesting, because they reflect the holidays fixed in the calendar and record important dates and information about days.

Above the astronomical clock, windows open, in which we see the apostles. The apostles have objects in their hands. The figures move, each of the apostles performs his action. St. Matthew threatens with an ax, Peter clutches the key.

And the performance ends with the crow of a rooster. The rooster sits at the very top of the composition.

History of the creation of Orloy

The first question that comes to the mind of any tourist who sees the Prague astronomical clock is: “who and when created such a complex mechanism?” To answer this question, let's go back to the Middle Ages. It was then, in 1410, that the oldest details of the chimes appeared. Their creators and manufacturers were Makulash and Jan Schindel.

By 1490, the device had a calendar dial, the creation of which was the responsibility of Joseph Manes. Around the same time, the first sculptures appeared next to the mechanism - examples of the Gothic style.

Of course, for your own long history Orloy was stopped many times for completely different reasons, and was also brought back to work many times.

There were also tragic moments in the history of the clock, after which one of the most famous landmarks of the city had to be restored.

• The clock was first restored in 1552 by Jan Taborsky.
• The first moving statues became a decoration of the chimes in the 17th century.
• The figures of the Apostles were added later, in 1865-1866.

The chimes had to endure a difficult time during the hostilities of World War II. In the spring of 1945, it was severely damaged, and with it the unique mechanism. The greatest damage was caused to the sculptures of the apostles. Then they almost completely burned out.

In 1948, woodcarving master Vojtěch Sucharda began restoring the clock. At the same time, the clock mechanism also underwent a major overhaul.

Fact or Fiction

The history of the Prague chimes is connected with a legend about a master who created a complex clock mechanism. But the name of his century was not preserved. Perhaps it was Master Jan Rouge or Master Hanush. To ensure that Hanush would never be able to create something like this again, the city council (wow the topic of the meeting) decided to blind him. The ingratitude of the citizens became the reason for Hanush's revenge. What could he do without eyes? Destroy your mechanism. He walked up the steps of the town hall and threw himself into the complex mechanism of the chimes. This caused the clock to stop.

The legend cannot be considered one hundred percent fiction. The mechanism actually stopped many times. But, unfortunately, the Prague authorities could not always find the money to repair it. This happened in 1778 and it was decided to simply dismantle the chimes. Jan Landesberger, a Prague watchmaker, did not let this happen. He did the renovations with his own money.

This happened again in 1861. Then the clock was saved by the residents of the city. They raised funds to repair the mechanism and again the pride of the city was preserved for posterity.

WITH late XIX For centuries, the Heinz company has been repairing chimes.

You can hear and see the clock strike from 9 am to 9 pm every day, every 60 minutes.

You can see the figures of the Apostles up close and see part of the clock mechanism by taking a tour of the town hall. There, take the elevator to the top floor and lean against the glass door.

Video about the Prague Orloj. In this video you can see the clock mechanism and figures up close. In Czech.

How to get there

• Metro. To the Old Town Square station
• by tram. Nos. 17, 18, 53 to the Staroměstská stop. Once you get there, look for the Old Town municipality.

Sightseeing tour of Prague

To get a holistic impression of Prague, you can use the services of a professional Russian-speaking guide. This will save time, and a specialist will tell you more than a regular guidebook.

Prague Astronomical Clock on the map

Address: Staroměstská radnice, Staroměstské náměstí 1/3, 110 00 Praha 1

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Old Town Square (Staromestske namesti) is undoubtedly one of the main, most beautiful and fabulous squares in Prague. Old Town Square is located in the historical center of Prague, on the Stare Mesto side. Due to its location, Old Town Square is also called Old Town Square.

Old Town Square is perhaps the largest square in old Prague. This place is quite spicy, and all thanks to the fact that the square is concentrated a large number of attractions that attract tourists from all over the world like a magnet.

In addition to the mass of the main city attractions, the square itself is surrounded by city houses with facades, some more beautiful than others, intertwining several architectural styles: Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo. All this together forms fabulous view and the festive atmosphere of the entire square.

The history of Old Town Square or Staromak, as it was also called, began in the 10th century. At that time it was the central market square, surrounded by taverns and inns. Gradually, the city began to grow around the square. During its existence, the area has been gifted rich history, even in ancient times, coronation processions took place on the square, as well as clashes of classes and executions. After the abolition of public executions, various fairs, holidays and festivities began to take place on the square.

To this day, an atmosphere of celebration and general fun reigns on the square. There are tents along the perimeter, from which there is a lively trade in souvenirs and. The street food tents give off a simply amazing smell of sweet trdeliki and smoked pork knee. It’s simply impossible to pass by and not try the delicacy.

A stage is set up in the center of the square and concerts are held.

You can take a horseback ride through the square and the old town. A street performers entertain honest people. All this together looks very interesting and exciting.

The main attraction of the square is the City Hall, towering and visible from many points of the old city, it is also called Old Town Hall/Staromestska radnice.

The Old Town Hall was built on the square in 1338 as the seat of city government and was initially called the City Hall; it was the first grandiose building on the square at that time. Afterwards, in 1410, an astronomical clock, the same famous Prague Orloy, was installed on the town hall. During its long existence, the town hall was restored and expanded many times. Nowadays you can still enjoy the oldest part of the town hall complex, this is a Gothic tower with a bay window chapel and a unique astronomical clock.

It is on this town hall, the clock tower, that one of the most famous clocks in the world is located - Orloy astronomical clock/ Prazsky Orloj. Perhaps the Old Town Hall, together with the Orloj clock, is not only the main attraction of the square, but of the whole of Prague, if not the Czech Republic.

The Prague Orloj chimes are a very complex mechanism, the creation of which was once worked on by the best master watchmaker - Mikulas from Copenhagen. When creating the clock, Mikulas consulted the best mathematician and astronomer of his time, Jan Schindel. The most interesting thing is that the main legend surrounding this clock is not connected with its ancestor, but with a completely different master - Ganush, who subsequently modified the chimes. After his work, Hanusha was blinded by the city authorities so that he could never create the same clock for another city again.

The mechanism of the Orloy watch is considered very complex to this day, since on the watch you can see not only the time of day and the current date, but also the time of sunset and sunrise of the Moon and Sun, as well as the locations of all 12 signs of the zodiac and the position of the Earth relative to the Sun. These outstanding and beautiful-looking watches were made by masters of the 14th century.

For the entertainment of ordinary citizens, clocks were invented and installed characters, which moved to the sound of the clock striking, each playing their role. So the clock also turned into a medieval theater. To this day, every hour (from 9.00 to 23.00), when the chimes strike, the figures on the clock come to life. In two windows above the clock dial you can see 12 apostles moving alternately.

In addition to the apostles, there are nine more figures on the clock, each playing their own role: the Skeleton (Czech Smertyushka) turns the clock over and rings, inviting you to follow him, the Arrogant Man looking at himself in the mirror, the Miser has a bag of money in his hands, the Turk (a symbol of pleasure and vice) negatively shakes the skeleton head, because he really doesn’t want to leave at the sign of Death. The whole performance is completed by a trumpeter who goes out onto the platform under the arches of the town hall and solemnly celebrates the onset of a new hour.

Thanks to this concert, every hour hundreds of tourists gather on Old Town Square under the Orloj clock, everyone eager to photograph or film such a breathtaking performance. All this, of course, must be seen with your own eyes. The video doesn’t convey all the charm of the figures’ concert, but general atmosphere delight and “holiday” is clearly visible:

At the very top of the Old Town Hall there is an observation deck; you can climb up to the platform and admire the beautiful panorama of the old town of Prague. Adult ticket 130 CZK, child, student and pensioner ticket - 80 KC.

The main dominant feature of the Old Town Square, after the Old Town Hall, naturally, is the two-tower Tynsky Temple. The true name of the Tyn Temple sounds like the Temple of the Virgin Mary before Tyn/Chram Matky Bozi pred Tynem. Tyn, this is courtyard or Tyn Court, located just behind the Old Town Square. Hence the name of the Temple of the Virgin Mary, which eventually became known as the Temple before Tyn or the Tyn Temple.

Two buildings of the Old Town Square - the City Hall and the Tyn Church, once emphasized the importance of the square, which, from just a market square, turned into a historically significant one, and in the 60s of the 20th century it became completely pedestrian.

Construction of the Tyn Temple began in 1365. The two asymmetrical towers of the temple, which became so after a strong fire, reach a height of 80 meters and are one of the main symbols of Prague. It is these two towers, as often as the Orloj clock, that can be seen on many postcards and magnets sold in the Czech Republic as souvenirs.

The entrance to the Temple was closed and photography was prohibited.

In the center, Old Town Square is decorated with a striking, huge bronze monument in Art Nouveau style, dedicated to national hero Czech Republic Jana Husa/Pomnik mistra Jana Husa.

The statue of Jan Hus is depicted standing in the center of the sculptural group. On both sides of Jan there are sculptures symbolizing the Hussites and emigrants. The statue of Jan Hus faces the Tyn Church.

To the right of the monument you can see a beautiful Rococo style building, pastel pink. This is one of the most memorable buildings on the square - Kinsky Palace/Palac Kinskych. The palace was built in 1765 for Count Jan Armost Göltz. Currently, the Kinski Palace operates as Art Gallery. On some holidays, entry to the gallery is free.

On the opposite side of the monument and the palace is the famous and visited by tourists St. Nicholas Cathedral. This is one of the most famous Prague baroque churches and belongs to the most valuable buildings of this style north of the Alps. The dome of the temple with a diameter of 20 meters and an internal height of 49 meters is the highest in Prague.

Church of St. Nicholas (translated from Czech Temple of St. Nicholas/Chram sv. Mikulase), a majestic structure that no tourist passes by. By the way, the only temple, and generally the place in Prague, to which during our visit to the Czech Republic was free entry, all other places have an entrance fee.

The temple displays luxurious decoration in the high baroque style. And the temple is decorated with one of the largest sculptures of St. Nicholas in Europe.

In the Church of St. Nicholas there is a unique organ from the 18th century, decorated with figures of angels. Concerts are held in the temple with the participation of this organ.

And the tall and beautiful vault of the Church of St. Nicholas is decorated with a unique Crystal Chandelier in the form of an imperial crown. The chandelier was donated to the Cathedral by Emperor Alexander II.

Opposite the main entrance to the Cathedral of St. Nicholas there is a green area with benches for relaxation, around which several cafes with open terraces are concentrated.

P.S. The Old Town Square is beautiful in itself, and its attractions, so conveniently located in one place, are also the main ones in the city and are simply mesmerizing. We came to the square almost every day, but how could it be otherwise, because all paths lead through it, and we constantly admired it, as if for the first time, discovering something new for ourselves. We recommend everyone to visit this world-famous square.

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The Orloj astronomical clock, or as they are also called the Prague Astronomical Clock, is one of the symbols of the Czech capital. Tourists constantly crowd around them, hoping to see a small colorful performance that takes place every hour.

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The first mention of the Orloy clock dates back to 1402. Since then, they have gone through countless reconstructions, restorations, and modernizations, but they have never left Old Town Square. It is difficult to say what the watch originally looked like. It is known for sure that in 1410, thanks to the efforts of the astronomer and mathematician Jan Schindel, they became mechanical and acquired the legendary astronomical dial. 80 years later, in 1490, the clock was modernized by master Hanush, who added a lower dial to it, and also “brought polish” by decorating it with Gothic sculptures. In the 17th century, they were accompanied by figurines of the apostles. As a result, the mechanism turned out to be really complex.

A special person was responsible for maintaining the watch in good condition, but it was not always possible to find a worthy specialist. Because of this, the chimes often broke down, and sometimes stopped altogether for a while by order of the king. In 1945, the clock faced a serious test - it burned down along with the Old Town Hall. Perhaps this was one of the most tragic moments for the residents of Prague during the Second World War. Within three years the best masters Europe was assembled by Orloy literally piece by piece. As a result, today 75% of the parts in watches are old, original, and 25% are new. However, the mechanism was completely preserved - it remained the same as many years ago.

Astronomical dial and statues

The Orloy astronomical dial is a whole system showing time in 4 dimensions.

1. Old Czech, the outer circle with Schwabacher numbers is responsible for it. It is easy to see that it moves relative to the main dial. This is due to the fact that in old Prague the countdown of the day began at sunset, which means it happened at different time years in different ways.

2. Central European time - the second one is responsible for it (if you count from outside) circle with Roman numerals.

3. Arabic numerals of the third circle indicate sidereal time and indicate daylight hours.

4. And finally, the most complex measurement is the so-called Babylonian time. It is indicated by the Zodiac ring moving around planet Earth (blue circle in the center). Thanks to it, you can find out in which constellation you are located. this moment Sun.

The dial is surrounded by 12 animals - real and fictional. They appeared here not by chance, each has its own meaning, many are called upon to perform a protective function. On the sides there are 4 sculptures: a magician, a miser, a skeleton and a Turk, which are the personification human vices. The lower dial of Orloy represents the Manes calendar. There are also 4 sculptures around it: Archangel Michael, philosopher, chronicler and astronomer. Every hour from 8-00 to 20-00 the astronomical dial of the Orloy clock turns into a place where real theatrical action takes place. Sculptures of Christ and the 12 apostles appear in the upper windows, and then a real “struggle” against human vices unfolds.

Where are they located and how to get to the Prague Astronomical Clock

The Orloj astronomical clock is located on Old Town Square, right on the tower of the Town Hall of the same name. You can get here by metro (the nearest station is Staromestska), trams No. 1, 2, 14, 17, 18, 25, 53 (the stop has the same name as the metro station) or bus 194 (stop Staromestske namest? - it is closest to area).

Hello, friends! The Orloj clock in Prague deserves to be described in detail. The famous chimes of the Czech Republic have outlasted all similar clock mechanisms in the world in terms of duration of their existence. Created at the beginning of the 15th century, they still function and show Central European time, as well as Old Bohemian and Babylonian.

But spectators rush to the Prague Orloj not at all in order to find their bearings in time. The astronomical clock is unique. They are simultaneously a work of art, a scientific-historical object and entertainment for visitors where they are located.

It would be more logical before going into detailed descriptions, provide an opportunity to look directly at the chimes, their action, and the many among which they are located. A short video will allow you to quickly plunge into the thick of things:

And now we can dwell on some details - who is involved in the astronomical clock, what symbols surround them, and why they are famous:

1. How the Prague Orloj came to be
2. Astronomical disk and time determination
3. Symbolic images of chimes

Who and when created Pražský orloj

The first chimes appeared at the end of the 14th century, when Wenceslas IV ordered the installation of a striking mechanism on a Gothic tower that would emit signals after an hour had passed.

A little more time passed, and in 1410 the town hall tower was equipped with an amazing astronomical clock.

Orloj was created by watchmaker Mikulas from Kadan, guided by the calculations and drawings of mathematician and astronomer Jan Schindel.

Master Hanush was called the Prague watchmaker Jan Ruže, who was directly related to the chimes of the town hall, but somewhat later. Master Ganush had not yet been born by the time Orloy not only regularly beat time intervals, but also gained European fame.

New facts regarding the author of the Prague Orloj have been discovered recently - after 1980. This is how history can lead us by the nose... For centuries, Prague residents believed that Hanush created the chimes, and passed on from mouth to mouth legends about how cruel city councilors ordered the master to be blinded so that he could not repeat his invention. Fortunately, this sophisticated medieval cruelty turned out to be only a legend.

But a document was found that recorded a generous reward to the inventor of the Prague Astronomical Clock, Mikulas from Kadan. The master was given a house at the Havel Gate and 3,000 Prague groschen, which was unusual at that time a large sum. Moreover, an annual salary of 600 groschen was assigned and guarantees were provided for property - in fact, copyright was protected.

The astronomical disk and how to determine ordinary time

For a long time, Orloy consisted of only one disk – the astronomical one. Actually, the mechanism was created for the needs of astrology, and not to tell residents the time. An astronomical disk is a special moving map of the sky, with which you can determine the position of the Sun, Moon, as well as their location relative to the zodiac constellations.

Imagine, this whole colossus is moving, displaying a lot of information, and we, modern residents, look at this disk and don’t even know how to figure out what time it is))) But now we’ll figure it out.

The Earth is depicted exactly in the center. The upper part of the disk corresponds to daytime - it is bluish in color. And the dark circle at the bottom is night. Twilight is indicated between day and night orange. Superimposed on this entire picture is a ring on which the signs of the zodiac are depicted, but the ring has nothing to do with determining time.

The present time is indicated by an arrow with the symbol of the Sun and a golden Hand. The only catch is that this hand simultaneously points to three numerical scales. And where is the one we need? Along the edge of the disk there are numbers in the form of some “squiggles” - this is Old Czech time. It is interesting that in this coordinate system the day ended with the onset of twilight.

The following digital symbols in Roman notation, also placed in a circle, are European time. Now you can easily determine what time I captured the astronomical disk in the photo.

There are also Arabic numerals - they are lower than the Roman ones and are depicted weaker. Arabic numerals make it possible to determine Babylonian time. It also includes that grid of golden curved lines diverging from the center of the disk. Fortunately, it is of no use to us, and there is no need to delve into these medieval indicators.

What else I would like to add regarding the installation of the astronomical clock is to mention the merit of the architect Petr Parler, who created a stone extension to the town hall where the chimes were placed. The stone decoration around the astronomical disk is also his work.

I repeat, determining time is almost a side function of Orloy. The main thing is to track the movement celestial bodies. And on the astronomical disk, the symbols of the Sun and Moon move not only in a circle, but also along the arrow. The disk with the zodiac also moves... From all this, experts read information. But in the Middle Ages they did not try to determine minutes. Residents of that time were not interested in such trifles.

In 1490, Orla was supplemented with another disc. The disk contained a calendar, including all 365 days in the form of divisions along the rim of the disk. The appearance of the calendar is precisely correlated with the activities of the master Ganush.

Each evening the calendar disk was turned by hand by one division, a practice that continued until 1566. Since then, the movement of the calendar board has been mechanized.

The attractive calendar disk that we see now appeared much later. IN mid-19th century centuries, watches needed major renovation. A collection of money among the population of the Czech Republic was announced for this worthy cause. 4,265 gold were collected. And the best Prague artist of that time, Josef Manes, took on the design of the calendar disk for a modest remuneration. And although we see today only a recreated copy, it is close to the original:

Manes depicted the coat of arms of Prague in the center of the disk, and around it the original signs of the zodiac. 12 golden disks with images, which are arranged in a circle, make up the series of paintings “Twelve Months”. Each painting represents features of medieval rural life during a specific month. The day designation, as in earlier versions, is located on the outer ring of the disk. Where can I see what day it is? Look at the mark with a golden line at the top of the calendar. Both the date and the day of the week are indicated there.

Symbolic images of chimes

Of great interest are the figures installed on both sides of the astronomical and calendar disk. The sculptures near the top disk, as you noticed while watching the video, are set in motion during the chiming clock. It is believed that these images represent 4 vices, although this opinion raises questions.

On the right are the Skeleton and the Turk. The skeleton symbolizes death and reminds of its inevitability. Can this allegory be attributed to vices? This image appeared on the chimes first, back in the 16th century.

The placement of the turbaned figure next to the Skeleton is even more mysterious. The Czech Republic in the Middle Ages often used the image of the Turk in a negative context. So, for example, the plot “a raven pecks out a Turk’s eye” appeared on the coat of arms of the Schwarzenberg family. Perhaps in in this case The image of the Turk denotes vicious characteristics.

To the left of the astronomical disk are more understandable images. Allegories of stinginess and vanity are established here:

Vanity peers into the mirror, Stinginess shakes a bag of money. However, there are disagreements in the interpretation of these images. It is assumed that the one on the far left is the Magician, who studies the invisible worlds, which is associated with knowledge, not vice.

Below, near the calendar disk, the Philosopher and Archangel Michael are located on the left, and the Astronomer and Chronicler on the right.

These images of Pražský orloj are always in sight. But if you watched the video, you noticed the procession of the apostles, which takes place during the mini-presentation of the chimes. The windows above the astronomical disk on both sides of the sculpture of the Angel open and 12 disciples of Christ pass in front of us. And the whole action ends with the cry of the golden Rooster.

The appearance of the figurines of the apostles is associated with the reconstruction of the chimes in 1659. The figures are made of wood, so they had to be restored several times. The current company of apostles was created by the sculptor Vojtech Sucharda.

The last of the images to be installed in its place was the Rooster. Prague residents heard it for the first time on December 31, 1882.

In conclusion, I would like to say that Prague Orloj is a mystery object. However, this is not surprising. Astronomical clocks were created with the purpose of displaying information that is not understandable to everyone. And they have such a long life that they cannot do without mysteries and legends. I assume, friends, that many of you have heard something interesting about the Prague Astronomical Clock. If so, tell us too.

Your euro guide Tatyana

The Czech Republic, like Russia, has its own most famous chimes. They have double name– Orloy or Old Town Clock. The first name is more common in the world. They say that everyone who comes to Prague remembers this word first. “Orloj” translated from Czech means nothing more than “clock”. Apparently, this is why the Prague chimes also have a second name - Old Town Clock, so that the Czechs understand exactly what kind of clock they are talking about.

The Old Town clock is much older than its Moscow “brothers”. The clock was first mentioned in 1410; it was installed on the Old Town Hall. Their authors were two people - Mikulas Kadan and Jan Schindel. Moreover, the latter was not just a watchmaker, but a famous mathematician and astronomer of his time. Over its long history, the watch has been modified and redesigned many times. They say that this is why their mechanisms are so complex and intricate that even an experienced specialist in this field is quite difficult to figure out how and what works there.

There is also a legend that says that a watchmaker named Ganush finished creating the clock in 1490 (he added a calendar dial). After he completed the construction, the city authorities were so amazed by the beauty of the clock that they decided to blind the master so that he could not repeat his masterpiece anywhere else. To take revenge for such “gratitude,” Ganush committed suicide by throwing himself into the clock mechanism, which, due to damage, stopped at long years. But this is nothing more than a legend. In fact, such a person did exist, his name was Jan Rouge (Ganoush was his nickname), and he modified the clock, adding a dial and some figures, but there was no blinding or suicide.

The Orloy chimes display quite a lot of information. In addition to the time itself, you can see the current date, the time of sunset and sunrise of the Moon and Sun, the current location of the Zodiac signs, even the position of the Earth relative to the Sun. But the most important thing is the performance that is shown every hour. It is for this puppet show that people constantly gather in the square in front of the town hall. great amount tourists, as once in Moscow during the changing of the guard at the Mausoleum.

The presentation is carried out in style medieval theater. There is a skeleton in the image of death, reminiscent of punishment for earthly sins, and ten apostles, symbolizing righteousness and a proper way of life, and an angel lowering the punishing sword of justice. Even today puppet show Tourists watch with enthusiasm, but what can we say about the power of influence on a medieval person who was not spoiled by such spectacles. This is what watches were once created for.

The Old Town clock stopped only a few times. And each time it was a harbinger of some serious cataclysms. Last time this was when the Czech Republic was occupied by the Germans during the Second World War, which, by the way, actually ended near the Old Town Hall when Soviet troops destroyed the last large German group in Prague on May 8.

Today, the Old Town Clock is called one of the most important attractions of Prague.