Old Town Hall

Now the leading style of exterior and interiors is Gothic. The basis of the entire architectural complex are the cellars, consisting of the remains of Romanesque houses from the 12th century. These are real labyrinths, which at different times served both as dungeons and economic premises. Now the cellars can be accessed from the Cock's House. You are invited to admire ancient masonry, medieval weapons and utensils. And, most importantly, to feel the extraordinary spirit of the gloomy dungeons of the 12th century.

The Old Town Hall as an international registry office

Not everyone knows that it is possible to register a marriage not in the district registry office, but in the Gothic hall of the old town hall. To the sound of a traditional organ. And to leave the newlyweds not from the standard door, but from a large gothic portal to the ancient square. Everyone can get such impressions. Because marriage registration certificates in Prague are legally valid in most countries, including Russia.

The process is completely fine-tuned - from preparing documents to inviting photographers. And the wedding photos turn out to be special - in unusual interiors of the Town Hall, against the background of the Old Town Square and beautiful castles. A real romantic photo shoot. Thanks to the Town Hall, Prague has become not only the city of lovers, but also the world capital of weddings.

About the tower

This mighty structure, some 70 metres high, was finally completed in 1368. Of course, at that time it was not erected for beauty. Until the middle of the XIX century, two observers were always on duty at the tower. In case of danger - fire or approaching enemy - they gave a double signal. First, they would sound the horn, then they would throw a red flag on a long pole in the direction from which the threat was coming. At night, the flag was replaced by a lantern. To be more precise, one watcher signalled, the other went down to the town hall and alerted the town authorities. An additional duty of the watchers was to call out the time every hour at night. It may have been introduced to keep the watchers awake...

Almost at the very top of the tower, at a height of over 50 metres, there is a viewing platform. Considering that the tower is the highest place in the Old Town, you can imagine the beauty of the views from the observation deck. It is considered to be the best in the city. Despite the medieval appearance of the tower, everything inside is quite modern. And if you don't want to go upstairs on foot, there is a lift. The entrance (aka exit) to the observation deck is so narrow that it is equipped with a pedestrian traffic light, which regulates the order of passage. The platform itself is glazed, but you can step out onto an open terrace so the glass doesn't interfere with photography.

The first floor of the tower is occupied by a very interesting Gothic chapel with unique brightly coloured stained glass windows and a richly decorated altar. The entrance is decorated with the coat of arms of Wenceslas IV - it depicts a wreath carried by two kingfishers. Outside the chapel's bay window is decorated with a sculpture of the Old Town Madonna. Directly from the chapel you can enter one of the meeting rooms of the Town Hall. This is how it was in former centuries, when divine services were held here before every meeting of the town council.

From the chapel you can look into a small room where the figures of the 12 apostles of the famous Prague chimes are located. To see how their mechanism works. From the outside, the chapel is recognisable by the pentagonal bay window with the emblems of the local lands.

Photo: Pedro Szekely. Source: Wikipedia

Prague's Orloj chimes

Orloj is a clock, chime, translated from Czech. The most famous astronomical clock of the Czech Republic is known by this name. They appeared on one side of the tower in 1410. Imagine: America was discovered only 80 years later. And medieval geniuses had already created a clock in Prague, which immediately became a marvel of technical thought.

They were designed by Jan Schindel, a famous astronomer and mathematician of the time. They were made by the equally famous watchmaker Mikuláš of Kadány. In the following years, the clock was finalised. This was done by another watchmaker, Jan Rouge, nicknamed Ganush. He is the author of the calendar dial below the first one. Jan Rouge also added some of the figures. All the authors deserve to be mentioned by name, because the clocks they created have been accurately showing for the 7th century:

• Four kinds of time - sidereal, Babylonian, Old Bohemian and Central European

• Calendar data - year, month and number

• Sunrise and moonset times

• Position of the sun and moon among the constellations

• Phases of the moon

• What is today's Christian holiday.

A clock consists of an astronomical dial and a calendar dial. The astronomical dial, with a diameter of 2.6 metres, is an astrolabe driven by the clock mechanism. Thanks to the oldest astronomical instrument, the astrolabe, this dial shows the four types of time, sunrise and sunset and everything else. It's the first of two, designed in 1410.

Days of the week, months, Christian holidays of the calendar year shows the other dial - the calendar dial. It appeared later, in 1490, according to the project of master Ganush. In the middle of the XIX century it was reconstructed on the basis of surviving drawings.

The gilded disc in the centre of the dial is decorated with the former royal coat of arms of Prague surrounded by medallions with stylised zodiacal constellations. This is followed by a large circle of 12 medallions symbolising the months of the year. It shows scenes of medieval life of Czech peasants in different seasons. The outer disc of the calendar dial is divided into 365 jagged parts indicating the days of the year. The disc rotates clockwise one notch each day, making a full revolution during the year. At the top of the clock hangs a small arrow indicating the current day. The calendar dial is below the astronomical dial.

By the way, at the top of the tower, under the observation deck, there is another clock - beautiful, but completely ordinary.

Sculptures of the Old Town Clock

They were created gradually over the centuries. So there is no single artistic concept. At the same time, they all fit together and look harmoniously whole. Decorative elements adorning the clock have always been a significant part of it, they made the Prague chimes more famous.

According to medieval tradition, buildings were decorated with security elements - some kind of amulets. In the Prague chimes, such a role was played by two basilisks, the images of these mythical creatures are located on the shaped canopy above the clock. Below it, a gilded rooster sits in a small niche. Since antiquity it has been considered a symbol of vigilance. A little lower, between two windows, is a sculpture of an angel, the third amulet of the clock, an allegory of the fight against dark forces. The stone figure of the angel is considered to be the oldest of the chimes' decoration.

Under the security decorations and are located astronomical clock. On their perimeter you can see small stone figures of real and mythical creatures. This is the work of the most famous sculptor of the XIV century Peter Parlerzha. Some of them have been partially destroyed under the influence of time. The lion at the top of the dial is well recognisable. Further around the astronomical dial can be recognised:

• the dog, to the right of the lion

• cat, next to the Roman numeral VII, its head facing people

• mascaron, an ancient mythical creature for warding off danger

• the face of the devil at the very bottom of the dial

• a hedgehog and a toad, to the right and left of the devil, as if they were his companions

• two small dragons, they support the astronomical dial panel below.

The lower dial is no less interestingly decorated. It is framed by an elaborately carved stone vine. A stone monkey and a phoenix bird decorate the right corner of the dial, while birds and a gnome decorate the left corner. At the bottom, the dial is supported by two medieval masons, a master and an apprentice.

Both dials are surrounded by allegorical images. Around the astronomical:.

• Vanity is a figure who views himself in a mirror

• Greed - a miser with a bag of money in his hands

• The skeleton does not symbolise death, but reminds us of the transience of worldly concerns. This is emphasised by the hourglass and the bell

• The Turk is considered the personification of pleasure, but perhaps it reminds of the Turkish threat to Bohemia in those times. .

On the sides of the calendar dial, also from left to right, are the following figures:

• Philosopher with pen and scroll in his hands

• Archangel Michael with shield, rod and flaming sword

• Astronomer holding a telescope

• Chronicler holding a book.

Photo: jay8085. Source: Flickr

Prague Chimes performance

The Prague Orloj shows a lot of amazing information. But the most important thing is the peculiar performance played out for centuries around the clock. It is the magnet that attracts a huge number of tourists to the Old Town Square every hour.

When the ancient hammers strike the hour and the chimes sound, a real medieval spectacle is played out in front of the audience. The actors are sculptures located around the dials - allegorical figures and holy apostles.

First, the two small windows on either side of the angel sculpture open above the astronomical clock. The 12 apostles appear in them in turn. In their hands are various symbolic objects, and each of the apostles performs a certain action. For example, Apostle Peter holds the key, St John holds the chalice, Apostle Matthew threatens with an axe.

When the chimes ring, the figures adorning the face of the astronomical clock move. The skeleton (death) turns over the hourglass and nods to the Turk. He also nods in response, but then waves his head negatively. At the same time, the sculpture of Greed shakes a purse with money, and the figure of Vanity admires himself in the mirror. Most impressive of all is the image of death ringing a bell.

At the same time the figures on the sides of the dial of the lower clock move. Of note is the Archangel Michael, chastising with a sword. This signifies punishment for sins. The performance concludes with the cry of the golden rooster.

A small performance always evokes emotion, often with the applause of tourists. We can assume what impression it made on the inhabitants of the Middle Ages, who were not spoilt with spectacles. Perhaps this was one of the purposes of creating the decor of the clock: daily and hourly to remind of the penalty for earthly sins.

The short show is so intense that it is difficult to see all its parts the first time. That's why people come back here again and again - to see all the sculptures of the apostles, to understand the astronomical dial and simply to admire the clock, which has been and remains a symbol of Prague for centuries.

Interesting facts

Today, the mechanism of the chimes remains the same. They have been improved, but only slightly. And the clock is three quarters of the original parts. And is considered a historical monument.

Serious changes have been made to the sculptural design, which suffered during the Second World War.

Master Mikuláš, who created the clock, was rewarded with a house in Prague and a lifetime pension..

In Prague, the area under the clock is considered a landmark for meetings. It is also the "kilometre zero", from where it is easy to reach all the sights.

A favourite character in clock legends is the figure of Death. It is said that if hard times await the Czech Republic, the sculpture will give a sign with a nod of its head.

There is a belief that if the clock stops, the country is in for big trouble. Perhaps that's why Prague's best clockmakers are watching over its work..