Clock tower in Prague. Astronomical clock in Prague - instructions for a medieval gadget

Prague Astronomical Orloj chimes (Pražský orloj) known throughout the world. Agree, it is fair that such a masterpiece still needs to be looked for. After all, it is not easy to show on one watch not only the time, but also the year, month, day, time when the Sun and Moon rise and set, and so on. So, a little history. After all, you didn’t think that 600 years ago the clock looked the same?

Useful information for tourists

• • Address: StaromEstské nam. 1, 110 00 Staré Město,
  • Website: staromestskaradnicepraha.cz

History of creation

There is an archival document that allows you to establish the year of creation of the chimes - 1410. The authorship belongs to watchmakers - Mikulas Kadan and Jan Shindel, by the way, the latter was not just a talented watchmaker, but also a professor of mathematics and astronomy, he taught at Charles University. But this is only the beginning of the story. In 1490, the then very famous master Ganush began to reconstruct the clock by adding a calendar dial. However, creating skillful sculptural decorations, he did not even suspect how his contemporaries would thank him. According to legend, he was blinded by order of the city's top officials so that he could no longer work. The intruders were not found, the master did not work, everyone turned their backs on him. But he, too, was not so simple. Before his death, Ganush broke the mechanism of the chimes. Yes, it was so thoroughly broken that the clock could not be repaired for decades! Of course, no one will say how it really was, but in 1552 Jan Taborsky restored the clock.

Time does not stand still, even for chimes. The clock was broken, it was repaired, improved, restored ... If we sum up the almost six hundred years of existence, then after the wooden figurines were restored in 1948 and a major repair was carried out, the clock works, arouses admiration and gathers incredible crowds of tourists.

Performance during the chiming clock

Of course, one can describe in words what happens when the chiming clock is heard, but looking at it is a completely different matter. Be sure to visit to enjoy the real show, as well as the intricately crafted figurines and stone decoration around the dial. You will see 12 apostles who replace each other in the windows, and also admire with your own eyes how the main vices inherent in humanity look, and even a very naturalistically made skeleton, personifying death, which “pulls the rope”, giving a signal that tourists We're all set and it's time to start the show. And then the rooster crows and ... you have to wait more whole hour to see it all again.

Orloi chimes in the photo of tourists

a photo: svetlana_withlove Every hour you can see such a picture: people rush to the Old Town Hall and, with bated breath, their eyes rush up to the famous Orloi chimes.
The question arises: what is the reason for such interest?
✅Firstly, by themselves, they are very beautiful and unique. The Orloj chimes show the zodiacal location of the Moon and the Sun and three hourly measurements at once: Arabic numerals show Old Bohemian time, Roman numerals show Central European time, planetary time is displayed separately.
✅Secondly, every hour a real tragedy is played out here human life. Figures are alternately replaced - a kind of allegory of our vices with you. The miser shakes up his treasures, the ambitious looks in the mirror with rapture, the frightened Turk shakes his head, denying the very possibility of the finiteness of his existence ... But the Rooster cries and EVERYTHING ends with the appearance of Death in the guise of a Skeleton with a bell that turns the Hourglass. Time is up!
For everyone who has ever seen this sad procession on the Orloi chimes, it makes an unforgettable, but very depressing impression. Alas!
But one has only to look around - the gloomy mood disappears somewhere. For the Old Town Square, even on weekdays, lives its bright, festive life. photo: Orloj (Pražský Orloj) or Astronomical Clock is located in the heart of the Old Town. The clock has been decorating the city hall for 600 years! (From 1410)
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Perhaps this is the most popular attraction in Prague after the Charles Bridge. Every day, crowds of tourists gather in the square to watch the performance that accompanies their fight.
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Every hour, when the minute hand points to 12 🕓, the 4 figures of Death, the Merchant, the Proud Turk and the Angel with the sword start to move. The apostles appear in the windows above, and the rooster beats its wings. By the way, Merchant replaced the Jew figurine, oh, this political correctness…
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Legend has it that the Master who created Orloi was blinded in his workshop by unknown bandits. Allegedly, someone did not want the Master to create another such watch.
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The Blind Master came with his assistant to the square, raised his hands and the clock stood on long years…
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But at present, watches are used to please tourists and to the pride of the Czechs. The clock has been restored this year. While the original was being cleaned and painted, the tower was decorated with a copy made of cardboard and plastic. photo: The most famous clock in Prague

Clock on the Old Town Square in Prague, Prague Orloj - an astronomical clock installed on the southern wall of the Old Town Hall building, is a popular and world-famous landmark of the Czech capital.

History of construction and improvements

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

In 1490, during repairs, the clock was improved: calendar disks were completed, and Gothic figures were installed on the facade. The work was carried out by the master Ganush.

In the following years, restorations were carried out many more times, because due to the inexperience of the caretakers serving them, the chimes sometimes stopped themselves.

In 1552, the restoration of the clock mechanism was done by master J. Taborsky.

Further improvements were made in the 17th century, when the mechanism that beats the time was moved, some figures were installed, as well as indicators of the phases of the moon.

History of watch restoration

In 1778, the authorities of Prague decided to dismantle the mechanism for scrap due to lack of funds for its repair. The local watchmaker J. Landesberger became the savior of the chimes, who in 1791 repaired them free of charge in order to preserve this landmark for future generations. However, due to poor maintenance, the astrolabe began to work poorly, and they could not fix it. The figures of the apostles were added to the mechanism.

AT mid-nineteenth centuries, the chimes again wanted to dismantle. Watchmakers L. Heinz, C. Danek and R. Bozek became the next saviors, who raised funds for the reconstruction of watches. During the restoration, R. Bozek made a chronometer, which still controls the mechanism (the clock is only 0.5 minutes behind a week, which is a good result). Since then, as now, repair work Orloi's mechanisms are maintained by Heinz.

Since then, the clock in Prague on the Old Town Square (photo below) has become a famous attraction in the Czech capital. The craftsmen were able to restore almost 75% of the original parts of the clockwork.

Clock in Prague on the Old Town Square: description

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

• astronomical discs, which determine the position of the Sun and Moon in the sky, showing some details of astronomy, have a zodiac ring;
• "Progress of the Apostles" - a mechanism that every hour sets in motion the moving mechanical figures of the apostles and characters;
• medallion watch face that works like a calendar and shows the months.

The astrolabe with the help of a clock mechanism indicates the time in several systems at once:

• Babylonian, in which different time there are different hour lengths of the year;
• Old Czech (Schwabacher numerals are used);
• Central European - shows Roman numerals;
• sidereal time (arabic numerals).

Unlike other Prague chimes, the famous clock on the Old Town Square in Prague does not change to summer time, so they show inaccurate time for half of the year (one hour behind the European one).

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

What does the astronomical clock show?

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

The image of the Earth (blue circle) and some part of the sky (top) represent the background. 4 moving parts rotate on the disks: the ring of zodiac signs and the outer one, images of the Sun and the Moon.

During the day, the Sun moves on a blue background, and at night - on a black one. In the hours of dawn and evening twilight - along the red area of ​​the background. To the left of the horizon is written avrora (dawn) and ortus (sunrise), to the right - occasus (sunset) and crepusculum (twilight).

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

• when pointing to Roman numerals, you can see the local Prague time;
• the position of the star on the curved golden lines determines the Babylonian time;
• on the outer ring, the hand shows the hours elapsed after sunset according to the old Czech reckoning;
• the moon moves along the ecliptic at a higher speed, and the silver sphere shows the lunar phase.

Orloi top dial

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 there are 4 figures, which are located on both sides of the clock. These figures symbolize the despised vices of man:

• death, reminiscent of the frailty of being;
• vanity, depicted by a figure with a mirror;
• greed (a Jew with a wallet);
• Turk, symbolizing the centuries-old danger to the Habsburg Empire, emanating from the Ottoman Empire.

Above the dial there are windows with doors in which the figures move one by one. According to 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. Matthew threatens with an ax, St. Paul holds a book in his hands , St. Jan - a goblet, St. Jacob - a spindle, St. Shimon - a saw, St. Tomas - a spear, St. Ondrej and Philip hold crosses, St. Bartholomew wrinkles his skin with his hands, St. Barnabas holds a scroll, and St. Tadeusz holds papers in a folder under his arm.

The lower dial of the Orloi

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

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

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

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

Legends about Orlo

One of the legends is connected with those times when the clock on the Old Town Square (Prague, Czech Republic) was still under construction. Master Ganush, who added a calendar dial to the chimes, impressed the city authorities with his skill and beauty of work so much that they decided to deprive him of his sight so that in the future he could not build a similar clock anywhere and for anyone. The indignant master decided to commit suicide by throwing himself from a height inside the Orloi mechanism, after which the chimes stopped for several years due to damage. However, history refutes this legend, master Ganush (his real name was Jan Rouge) really finalized the clockwork, and everything else is fiction.

Another legend says that when the clock stops, cataclysms must necessarily occur in the city. Such a stop happened during the occupation of the Czech Republic by the Nazis, which ended directly on the Old Town Square when the Soviet troops destroyed the last German group in Prague on May 8, 1945.

One of the last stops of Orloj occurred in 2001, after which there was a large-scale flood that flooded the Czech capital (August 2002).

Prague Orloj: reviews and impressions

The chimes on Old Town Square are one of those that attract thousands of tourists who come in crowds every hour to watch the performance with moving figures.

There are no performances at night, and Orloi employees are engaged in the restoration and updating of mechanisms and figurines in the tower. Watches require daily care (lubrication of mechanisms, etc.), which these people follow.

Many tourists who come to admire the clock on the Old Town Square in Prague express their reviews with enthusiasm and enthusiasm. Orloj is located in the very center of Prague, on the square where Christmas and other festive festivities are held, fairs are held. Numerous restaurants and cafes are also located here. delicious pastries and national dishes.

Conclusion

In 2010 the Prague Orloj celebrated its 600th anniversary. There have been festive events dedicated to this event. All the past few hundred years, the famous chimes have attracted many tourists to Prague, and they will remain popular for more than one century.

This place is especially beautiful new year holidays: in the center of the square they set up the largest Christmas tree in the city, and arrange around holiday shows, which, surrounded by medieval spiers and castles, resemble a fabulous and beautiful theatrical performance.

Or, as they are also called, Pražský orloj (Prague Eagle). This clock is installed on the southern wall of the Old Town Tower, located on the square of the same name.

If you are already there, then the Tyn Church will help you navigate.

The Old Town Hall is located exactly on the opposite side of the square.

What are remarkable chimes

In addition to historical and cultural value Orloi compares favorably with many static sights of the city. "What is it?" - you ask. More about this.

Performance

As already mentioned, all the sculptures decorating the clock did not appear at once. As far as I understood from the stories of the locals, initially some meaning or comparison with the realities of a certain time was invested in each. But due to numerous restorations, few can remember their true meaning. For example, a rooster and an angel were conceived as amulets from supernatural forces. But now they are nothing more than static scenery.

So why do tourists from all over the world come here in such huge numbers day by day, despite the fact of loss secret meaning all this composition? Of course, for the sake of the show!

On both sides of the angel there are two windows: it is in them that a small performance takes place every hour.

The skeleton, standing to the right of the dial, pulls the chain, the bell begins to ring and the window sashes open; in the openings, one by one, all 12 apostles are shown.

Hundreds of camera flashes in these moments illuminate the area! At some point, I began to look not at the clock, but at the tourists - a very curious sight: on the faces and admiration, and interest, and idle curiosity ... And I did not see indifference in any of them. Can you imagine, many of them are not watching the performance for the first time. It does not get boring, but rather the opposite - you try to see or notice something new every time.

By the way, you can watch the chimes from above, from the observation platform. I will talk about it a little later.

Astronomical dial

It is an astrolabe equipped with a clock mechanism. The clock illustrates the geocentric system of the world: the Earth is in the center, and the Sun and the Moon revolve around. And although such a system is clearly outdated, it still remains for many tourists and residents of the city not a reminder of the fallacy of this version, but beautiful fairy tale, embodied by the masters of the past in the famous Prague Astronomical Clock.

The symbol of the sun at the end of the "arrow" makes a whole revolution in a day, but this is not the most interesting thing. The fact is that the sun, over the course of the year, either moves away or approaches the center of the circle, as I understand it, symbolizing the height of the Luminary's position above the horizon.

As for the symbol of the moon: the ball is painted on different sides in different colors, denoting the phase lunar cycle. The ball is turning different parties per full cycle– 29 days 12 hours 44 minutes and 3 seconds.

There is also a disk with the image of the signs of the zodiac. It rotates with an offset from the center and shows in which zodiac constellation the sun and moon are located.

calendar dial

The current dial is new, the past, alas, has not been preserved. It was created during the reconstruction of the 19th century, which I mentioned above. In the center is the coat of arms of Vladislav II, then a disk with the image of 12 zodiacs, and finally, on the outside, a disk with 365 divisions, each of which has a calendar day of the year.

The disks (except the central one) rotate, and the arrow, fixed at the top, shows the current day.

Tower of the Old Town Hall

Now there is a museum inside, exhibitions are held there and there is a special hall for registering marriages.

Unfortunately, I did not manage to visit the exhibitions, but climb observation deck This minimum has been met. What I will tell you now.

Opening hours and ticket prices

You can buy a ticket to the observation deck at the box office inside the town hall. The cost in the summer of 2015 was as follows:

• students, children under 15, pensioners - 2.5 euros (70 kroons);
• adults - 4 euros (120 kroons).

Opening hours: from 11.00 to 22.00 on Monday, other days from 9.00 to 22.00. The last lift is 20 minutes before closing.

What is inside

You can go upstairs by elevator or on foot, I advise you to ride up and save time, but go down the stairs to study the information exposition placed on the walls. From it I learned that during the war the Old Town Square was almost key place collection of the Nazis, many buildings were occupied and subsequently destroyed.

For example, the building of the tower was rebuilt, if my memory serves me, three times, and the last time was just after the war. In my opinion, this is interesting historical information, which can be given 10-20 minutes. The information is presented in English and Czech.

Lookout

Finally, here we are at the top. First you will have to stand in line at the entrance if there are a lot of applicants. But it's worth the wait as the views are amazing!

By the way, it seems to me that the photo printed on many postcards from Prague was taken from here (below).

You can also see the Prague metronome.

By the way, pay attention to which direction the flow of people is moving on the observation deck, if there are a lot of them. Slow-witted tourists trying to go against everyone are annoying. You don't want to be one of them, do you? :)

Finally

I would like to note: if you think that, having read the description and photographs, you have already practically visited some places in the world in general and Prague in particular, then this is a huge delusion. Do not deny yourself pleasure, look at everything live and get a huge portion of pleasure. I will tell you more details about the Old Town Square in the next article. Wish you success!

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

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

There is also a legend saying that the clock was finished by a watchmaker named Ganush in 1490 (he added a calendar dial). After he completed the construction, the city authorities were so amazed by the beauty of the watch that they decided to blind the master so that he could not repeat his masterpiece anywhere else. To avenge such "gratitude", Ganush committed suicide by throwing himself into a clockwork, which, due to damage, stopped for many years. But this is nothing more than a legend. In fact, such a person really existed, his name was Jan Rouge (Ganush was his nickname), and he finalized the watch by adding a dial and some figures, but there was no blinding and no suicide.

Orloi chimes display 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 the Sun, the current location of the signs of the Zodiac, 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 the sake of this puppet show that the square in front of the town hall constantly gathers great amount tourists, as once in Moscow during the changing of the guard at the Mausoleum.

The presentation is carried out in the style medieval theater. There is also a skeleton in the form 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, and what can we say about the power of influence on a medieval person who was not spoiled by such spectacles. This is what clocks were made for.

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

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

In Prague, the old tower of the Old Town Hall adorns, which invariably attracts the attention of travelers. After all, on the southern wall of the town hall tower there is the most famous clock in Prague and the oldest working astronomical clock in the world. This amazing mechanical miracle is called the Prague Astronomical Clock, or Orloj. The astronomical clock is one of the.

The first mention of the clock on the tower of the town hall dates back to 1402. But it wasn't the same Prague chimes that we know today. The predecessor of the famous Prague Astronomical Clock managed to work for a very short time. The clock was so badly looked after that it had to be replaced already in 1410. Then the oldest part of the Prague Astronomical Clock appeared on the wall: an astronomical dial with a mechanical clock. They were made by the master Mikulash from Kadani.

For a long time it was customary to consider the watchmaker Jan Ruže as the author of the Prague Astronomical Clock. There was even a legend that Ganush, as Jan Rouge is also known, was blinded so that he could not surpass himself in subsequent works. In fact, Ganush made significant repairs to the clock mechanism, installed a calendar dial at the bottom and created a moving figure of Death. This happened in 1490.

In the 17th century, the Astronomical Clock in Prague underwent another significant restructuring. The beater mechanism was lowered directly to the chimes, new wooden figures were added and a mechanism was developed showing the phases of the moon.

During the existence of the Prague Astronomical Clock, it was not always possible to adequately service the clock mechanism. As a result, Orloi often stopped, and in the 18th century the clock did not work for decades. During the rebuilding of the town hall in 1787, they even wanted to throw them away, but enthusiasts opposed this and achieved repairs.

Most serious damage hours happened in 1945. A German shell hit the town hall tower, causing a fire. The calendar dial and wooden figures were destroyed, the astronomical dial fell down. Of course, the inhabitants of Prague did not want to remain without Orloi and already in 1948 the clock was completely restored. Now in their device there are almost three-quarters of vintage parts.

The upper, astronomical dial of the Prague Astronomical Clock shows four types of time with amazing accuracy: ancient Babylonian, Old Czech, modern Central European, and also stellar, used only in astronomy. Using this dial, you can observe the movement of the sun and moon among the constellations of the zodiac circle, follow the phases of the moon, the time of sunset and dawn. Amusing figures are located on the sides of the dial. On the left you will see allegories of human vices: Vanity and Pride. On the right is Death, telling people what the course of life time leads to, and the Turk, whose image is considered the embodiment of sinful earthly pleasures and a reminder of the Turkish threat.

The lower, calendar dial shows the days of the week, the exact date, holidays. The calendar dial, which is a painting masterpiece in itself, is adorned with the figures of the philosopher and Archangel Michael on the left, and the astronomer and chronicler on the right.

The astronomical clock in Prague is famous not only for its amazing story and a unique look, but also an extraordinary performance that unfolds here every hour from 8 am to 8 pm.

At the top of the chimes, next to stone figure Angel You can notice two windows. At the beginning of each hour, they open, the figures of the apostles appear from them and their amazing procession begins. Each of the apostles holds in his hands a certain attribute, a symbol. For example, this is the key to Paradise from St. Peter, and the spear from the Apostle Thomas.

When the procession of the apostles takes place, the figures next to the astronomical dial also move: The conceited man looks in the mirror, the Miser shakes the bag of money ... The most attention is drawn by Death, turning the hourglass, ringing the bell and nodding his head, recalling the transience of life. The figure of a rooster located on top signals the end of the performance: when the Rooster crows, the figures freeze until next hour when the mini-performance is repeated again.