Clockmaker Mikulas of Kadan & mathematician Jan Sindel get the credit for this magnificent timepiece.
Leave it to Orloj to show us a good time in Prague.
With nothing but time on his hands (my bad!), the oldest working clock of its kind in the world took center stage to do what he does best time and time again; mark the passage of time with uncharacteristic flair.
Indeed, Orloj was quite the charmer; downright heavenly!
With nothing but time on his hands (my bad!), the oldest working clock of its kind in the world took center stage to do what he does best time and time again; mark the passage of time with uncharacteristic flair.
Indeed, Orloj was quite the charmer; downright heavenly!
According to legend, the city of Prague (and everyone in the square!) will suffer if the astronomical clock is neglected.
Time hung as heavy as the clouds closing in on Old Time Square on a chilly fall day last October. This crossroads of medieval trade routes appeared untouched since the 10th century marketplace grew from the early commerce that eventually spawned the city of Prague.
Standing in the midst of all the 12th and 13th century buildings lining the Square, time travel seemed a real possibility, at least as long as I looked beyond the throngs of 21st century tourists keeping it real.
Standing in the midst of all the 12th and 13th century buildings lining the Square, time travel seemed a real possibility, at least as long as I looked beyond the throngs of 21st century tourists keeping it real.
The astronomical clock was fully mechanized in 1566, including the daily shifting of the calendar plate
Insanely real! A thousand times over real! Ten thousand times over by my guesstimate!
Holy humanity!
Holy humanity!
Orloj was seriously damaged by the Nazis during World War II. Repairs took 3 years to complete.
We (me, Jimmy, and travel buddies Joan and Jerry) jockeyed for position in the crowd gathering at the south wall of the Old Time Tower where Orloj has been faithfully passing the time of day since 1410. Truth be told, he’d had time off for good behavior every hundred years or so; eight years between 1552 and 1560 when major repairs were required.
The calendar plate, added in 1490, is flanked by four figurines - a philosopher, the archangel Michael, an astronomer, and a chronicler.
Neglected and damaged during the first half of the 17th century, Orloj had a hell of a time keeping time. By 1787, the entire mechanism, including a new calendar dial added in 1490, was almost sold for scrap iron. The time machine was living on borrowed time. My bad!
It came time to pay the piper in 1861; a fundraising campaign (4,000 gold pieces were needed to make critical repairs) secured Orloj’s future, and thus his past, at least until WWII, when the Nazis bombed Old Time Square. Repairs to Orloj took three years to complete.
That past was a powerful piece of the present the day we stood in Prague’s Old Time Square waiting for the top of the hour to set into motion Orloj’s nod to time immemorial.
It came time to pay the piper in 1861; a fundraising campaign (4,000 gold pieces were needed to make critical repairs) secured Orloj’s future, and thus his past, at least until WWII, when the Nazis bombed Old Time Square. Repairs to Orloj took three years to complete.
That past was a powerful piece of the present the day we stood in Prague’s Old Time Square waiting for the top of the hour to set into motion Orloj’s nod to time immemorial.
 For whom does the bell toll? That's the question every hour on the hour between 9 am and 11 pm. |  All of the figures on Orloj have been copies since 1976. The originals are located in the Prague City Museum. |
That nod began with the statue of Death (a skeleton) ringing a bell, followed by statues of Pride, Vanity and Greed simultaneously denying Death, their heads stubbornly turning from side to side.
 The apostle figures became part of the astronomical clock sometime during the mid-16th century. |  The crowing rooster was added in 1882 by the Hainz company. The crowing sound is a combination of whistles and bellows. |
The Twelve Apostles appeared next, two at a time, preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ every hour on the hour. The parade of apostles ended with the crowing of a gilded rooster.
Talk about being in the right place at the right time!
The entire show lasted less than a minute, a concept for which the cultural landmark had no time, literally. The minute, as a measurement of time during the Middle Ages, had yet to make its mark on mankind.
Talk about being in the right place at the right time!
The entire show lasted less than a minute, a concept for which the cultural landmark had no time, literally. The minute, as a measurement of time during the Middle Ages, had yet to make its mark on mankind.
The sun on the astrolabe makes one complete rotation every 24 hours. Duh!
Time was when time was all about the parade of celestial bodies sweeping across the heavens; which pretty much sums up most astronomical clocks, including Orloj.
We watched this magnificent timepiece announce the noon hour (as per the dial containing Roman Numerals), Central European Time, which occurred a little more than 19 hours after sunset on the previous day (as per the rounded numbers on the outermost dial).
The sun (clock hand with the golden orb) was in the Zodiac sign Scorpio (we were in Old Time Square on 30 October, 2016) with the moon (clock hand with the black orb) close behind. As per the Zodiac dial, the vernal equinox (the first day of spring) represented by the tiny star, rested on the line between Pisces and Aries (Prague is in the Northern Hemisphere).
Standing there in Prague’s Old Time Square, swept up in the magic of the moment, there was no denying Orloj’s charm. I couldn't take my eyes off the old timer's face.
Yes, indeed, Orloj definitely knows how to show the world, and one Midwestern momma, a good time.
We watched this magnificent timepiece announce the noon hour (as per the dial containing Roman Numerals), Central European Time, which occurred a little more than 19 hours after sunset on the previous day (as per the rounded numbers on the outermost dial).
The sun (clock hand with the golden orb) was in the Zodiac sign Scorpio (we were in Old Time Square on 30 October, 2016) with the moon (clock hand with the black orb) close behind. As per the Zodiac dial, the vernal equinox (the first day of spring) represented by the tiny star, rested on the line between Pisces and Aries (Prague is in the Northern Hemisphere).
Standing there in Prague’s Old Time Square, swept up in the magic of the moment, there was no denying Orloj’s charm. I couldn't take my eyes off the old timer's face.
Yes, indeed, Orloj definitely knows how to show the world, and one Midwestern momma, a good time.
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