Discover the most beautiful city in the world through a 600-year-old clock

The best time to see all the beauty of Prague is in the afternoon. It seems that the fiercest wars in Europe for hundreds of years have "skipped" this place. Tourists weave through the winding streets of the old town, the cobblestone streets connect each other but all lead to squares or the banks of the Vltava River that flows through the city.

The square, with its 600-year-old clock as its highlight, always attracts a large number of visitors every day.

Among the countless past legacies left for Prague today, it is impossible not to mention the astronomical clock in the Old Town Square (or Chicken Square) which was made 600 years ago, still runs every day and is the oldest operating clock in the world . There are too many legendary stories surrounding it, some of which are scary but all are extremely impressive and attractive.

It is really unfair to call this work just a clock because it has a whole history and oral history that takes visitors back to the Middle Ages 600 years ago. In that era, people used clocks not only to tell time, but also to provide information about the position of the moon and the sun, the time of sunrise and sunset...

This clock has been working for 600 years.

Standing from a distance, visitors can clearly see the four sculptures on both sides of the clock face: the person holding a mirror symbolizes vanity; the person holding a stick and a bag of money represents greed; the skeleton represents death and the mandolin player symbolizes joy.

The dial is incredibly complex, but basically has three main rings. On the outermost edge, you’ll see a black background with gold numerals that represent Old Czech time, also known as Old Bohemian time or Italian time, which counts the day from sunset.

Three main parts that make up a legendary watch

The colorful center ring displays 24 hours in gold Roman numerals (I - XI repeated twice) indicating Prague time.

The different colors represent things like day, dawn, night, etc. And in the center is the earth because at that time, people believed that the earth was the center of the universe. There is also a zodiac, an astronomical dial on the face of the watch. The dial has a golden sun on top that goes through the zodiac signs and shows the position of the sun or the ecliptic.

Four other statues on other parts of the clock

The Prague Clock also has a lower part showing the day, month and zodiac signs. This painting was done by Czech artist Josef Mánes. A copy replaced the original in 1880. The original is now in the Prague Museum.

The sculptures in this section are also interesting with four statues depicting four different people: The person holding a book represents science , the person holding a sword represents justice, the statue holding a feather represents philosophy and the statue holding a telescope represents astronomy.

The top of the clock has two windows. Inside these windows are the 12 Apostles of Jesus. Every hour, the skeleton rings the bell and turns the hourglass, the windows open and the 12 Apostles appear in order. This is the time when the most tourists gather to see the Prague Clock.

Two blue windows above the clock

The clock was made in 1410 by astronomer Jan Sindel and a clockmaker whose name is still disputed in oral tradition. The clock's popularity spread throughout Europe and the rulers of other cities wanted to have a similar one, but the king would not allow it. To prevent this from happening, the clockmaker was blinded and then hanged himself on the clock tower itself...

The clock is also deeply rooted in Czech folklore, where it is known as the “Evil Eye” and the story goes that if the country faces a disaster, the clock will stop. To this day, many people still believe in this legend and are very afraid that the clock will stop running.

Many thrilling stories surround the clock, making it the most visited tourist attraction in Prague.

From early morning until late at night, the area around the clock is always crowded with visitors, especially at the beginning of the hour to watch the animation. For example, at exactly 1 pm, the skeleton rings the bell and turns the hourglass to signal the coming of death. The other characters shake their heads trying to explain that they are not ready for this. Meanwhile, the 12 Apostles pass through the two upper windows. The animation ends with the crowing of a rooster in the window (the reason this place is called the Rooster Square).

The clock is located on the outer wall of the Old Town Hall built in 1364.

However, it would be unfair to Prague if visitors came here just to see the astronomical clock, because there are many places to admire.

One of them is the Charles Bridge, also known as the Karluv Bridge. The two sides of the bridge are marked by two towers: the Old Town Bridge Tower and the Small Town Bridge Tower.

Charles Bridge is a 14th-century stone bridge that connects the two sides of Prague. This magnificent structure, one of the city's most beautiful sights, is located on the main pedestrian route connecting the two parts of the city with Prague Castle.

There are statues and sculptures on the bridge that have been touched by many people, becoming shiny over time. For example, it is believed that touching the knight's dog will bring good luck, and touching the image of Saint John Nepomuk is said to bring you back to Prague again.

Another sculpture that visitors can touch. There are currently 75 statues on Charles Bridge, but most are replicas, as floods and disasters over the centuries have damaged the originals.

Vltava River and Prague Castle seen from Karluv Bridge

Prague's Old Town with its narrow alleys and cobblestone streets has been there for hundreds of years.

Prague was voted the most beautiful city in the world in 2021. Time Out surveyed 27,000 residents of cities around the world and Prague came out on top with 83% of the votes.

The Czech Republic has the highest density of castles in the world and the largest castle in the world. According to statistics, the country has 932 castles, with Prague alone having the largest ancient castle complex in the world with an area of ​​70,000m².

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