Death stands on the right side of the clock
Moving figurines
Every day on the hour, between 8:00 am and 8:00 pm, the entire mechanism comes alive. In addition to the mechanical round of the apostles, there are other moving figurines on the outside of the clock. These represent some of the things most feared by the residents of Prague in those days: greed, vanity and death. Since the 16th century, the mechanism that measures time has been repaired and restored several times, the last restoration having been in 1865. That was also the year when the apostles were added to the clock.
Babylonian time
Prague’s astronomical clock indicates various times: astronomical time, Central European, old-Czech and Babylonian time. This Prague timepiece is the only clock in the world that can tell Babylonian time. Of course there is a legend about this special historic artwork. When Master Hanuš finished his work on the clock, he was allegedly blinded by the city councillors to prevent him from recreating his masterpiece in another city and perhaps even improving it. In revenge, Master Hanuš is said to have damaged the clock shortly before he died and cursed the timepiece. According to the legend, the men who tried to repair the clock have all gone insane or died – but as with most legends, of course, no one knows if this really happened.
