When my daughter visited Prague last summer I was very interested to see her pictures of the Prague astronomical clock and was looking forward to seeing it. The oldest part of the clock was made in 1410. It has been added to and restored over the centuries. It is situated on the wall of the Old Town City Hall on the tower that I showed last week.
The top of the clock has windows that open each hour and a parade of 12 wooden figures of the apostles appear. When they finish the cockerel crows and then the bell rings the hour.
The rather macabre characters around the astronomical clock also move. The astronomical dial depicts the medieval idea of the Universe. The dials show 4 different times; Old Czech Time, Central European time, Babylonian time where the length of an hour differs according to the season and Sidereal time. This clock is the only one in the world able to measure Babylonian time.
The most modern part of the clock is at the bottom and is the Calendar clock. The centre shows the symbol of Old Prague town. Every single date is itemised around the very edge of the clock with the current day marked at the top. Further in are symbols of each zodiac sign and each calendar month.
So much to read in one clock!
Shall I be naughty and show you another picture? This is the view of the clock by night.
I require no apology for being reminded of Prague! However I don't have the power to absolve you for sneaking in extra pics - you'll have to ask Mary-Lou :o) I will say the last photo is very atmospheric - love the sky. A beautiful clock. I have a postcard of it on my fridge but I'd forgotten all the details about everything it depicts. (Not sure I ever knew the bit about Babylonian time.) I do seem to rememeber being warned to keep my wits about me when watching it spring to life, as it's a prime opportunity for pickpockets to take advantage of the distraction. Do I remember correctly or am I thinking of somewhere else?
ReplyDeleteYes whoops very naughty breaking Mary Lou's rules! It is a bit disappointing that more people aren't joining in her meme. She has quite a number of followers. What about you? You must have lots of suitable photos! Yes the Babylonian time is a bit beyond my comprehension and I have only read about it since I got home. The pickpockets? Yes i think the guide book warned about it and we were given several warnings about Charles Bridge. We were mainly on the case and pretty careful. Two have my companions had experienced it in Italy where one of them caught some wandering fingers delving into the other one's bag. A sharp smack on the hands dealt with that!
DeleteI know I should join in. Will probably play along occasionally, like I did with Snap. Just no time to get everything done at the moment unfortunately - seven or eight half-written posts in drafts and no immediate prospect of finishing any of them! May have more time now that WPSH is done and dusted.
DeleteFascinating and beautiful and a fabulous reminder that mechanical mastery is so old
ReplyDeleteThe clock face is one of the most beautiful I've ever seen, and your story is fascinating. I've never heard of Babylonian time before.
ReplyDeleteThanks for joining in. Oh please yes take us back to Prague. Interesting clock to say the least. I think I would stare at it for quite a while & then being an easy target for the less than honest folks. Another reason to carry an umbrella or walking stick!
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