And you thought your antique clock was cool.
Prague Orloj, which celebrates its 600th anniversary next year, is an astronomical clock located in the heart of Prague’s old town square. Always surrounded by throngs of tourists, the clock has a tale all its own. According to legend, city officials blinded the clockmaker after he finished so he’d never make another, and then when the clockmaker died touching his masterpiece, Prague Orloj stopped working for years. While none of these stories are true, many locals do believe bad luck will come if the clock is ever neglected, and when the Nazis fired on the area during the Prague Uprising in spring 1945, local citizens went to heroic efforts to save the clock. In other words, that Rolex you love more than your second born ain’t squat.
History aside, the astronomical clock is a wonder to behold with its dials and displays and craftsmanship. The clock’s astronomical dial shows the position of the sun and moon in the sky as they circle the earth. There’s the actual clock itself that features an hourly show, “The Walk of the Apostles,” featuring moving figures. There’s also the calendar dial that was added years later. And for all you metal heads out there, the time is struck each hour by a skeleton representing Death.
While much of the science is wrong, the clock does go to great efforts to account for time differences that occur over the year and incorporates a significant amount of astronomical and zodiacal information. Ultimately, this is a true piece of moving art that was clearly loved by its creator and followers.
And for all you Mayan calendar fans out there, let’s just hope it doesn’t stop running in 2013.