Prague Astronomical Clock

A medieval machine that still tells the time, the position of the sun and moon, and the signs of the zodiac on the south wall of the Old Town Hall.

The clock was installed in 1410 by the clockmaker Mikuláš of Kadaň and the astronomer Jan Šindel, and it is the oldest astronomical clock in the world still in operation. The upper dial shows the sky as the medieval world understood it; the calendar dial below, painted by Josef Mánes in the nineteenth century, marks the months with scenes of country life. A later legend claims its maker was blinded so he could never build another.

Every hour during the day, the Walk of the Apostles begins: two windows open and the twelve apostles process past, while Death rings a bell and the figures of Vanity, Greed and the Turk shake their heads. It lasts well under a minute, and the crowd below is part of the show — watch for pickpockets.

The clock was restored in 2018. For a better view of the square, climb or take the lift up the Old Town Hall tower next to it.