Inside the Astronomical Clock

Tuesday, April 6, 2010 (Part 1):

Our touring schedule was seriously disrupted on Easter Monday, and so we woke up on Tuesday absolutely determined to have a much more productive day. Our first stop, and one of my favorite stops of the day was the Old Town Hall Clock Tower. Two features of the Town Hall are particularly notable. They are the astronomical clock on the outside and the tower itself -- which is open for climbing to the top.

As mentioned before, the Town Hall and the side of the tower with the astronomical clock was directly across from our hotel. This clock is one of the most well known features in all of Prague. The clock was built in 1490. It tells time, but it also has as astronomical clock that indicates the amount of daylight in each day as well as which month on the zodiac calendar is prevailing. Finally, it also indicates the day and month of the year.

From 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., on the hour, the clock puts on a bit of a show. Four characters (statues), two on each side of the clock -- representing vanity, greed, death and lust -- start to move. Death rings a bell, and two doors above the clock open and the 12 apostles, six in each window, process past the windows. This hourly show draws crowds all day long

, and throughout the day, tourists stop to have their photos taken in front of the clock.

We had read in our guidebook that there is also a chapel in the Town Hall that is worth seeing, so we found our way to the second floor and discovered that we had to pay a separate admission fee to see it. Well, we were there, so we went ahead and paid the extra kroner.

What we did not know was that, in the room next to the chapel, we would be able to climb a small flight of stairs and see inside the room behind the clock where the 12 apostles await their hourly parade. This was really cool, and there was no one else around so it made our

viewing seem extra special. You can't see these figures very well from the street when they appear fleetingly at the windows. But from the inside, through a glass viewing door, we were only several feet away, and we could see them in great detail. What a treat!