Time stands still in center of Prague

Advanced Search

The story appears on

Page A8

January 9, 2018

GET this page in PDF

Free for subscribers

View shopping cart

Time stands still in center of Prague

Source: AFP | 00:01 UTC+8 January 9, 2018 |

Print Edition

The 15th-century astronomical clock in Prague’s center, which draws crowds of tourists every hour, was halted yesterday morning for six months of repairs, city hall said.

“The Old Town clock is one of Prague’s symbols and its repair... is a necessary and responsible step,” said a statement from Jan Wolf, the city’s councillor for culture.

The clock, called Orloj, will be dismantled and taken away for repairs which will take five or six months.

The Old Town Hall, where the clock is installed, is “undergoing a complete reconstruction — the first since World War II when most of the building was destroyed,” said Wolf.

Every hour, crowds of tourists gather in front of the clock to watch figures of the 12 apostles that appear in two small oriel windows above a sophisticated astrolabe showing the movement of the Moon and the Sun and its entry into the zodiac signs.

Directed by a sculpture of Death pulling a bell cord, the apostles’ parade takes about a minute until a gilded cock crows above the oriel windows.

World

About Us
|
Terms of Use
|
RSS
|
Privacy Policy
|
Contact Us
|
Shanghai Call Center: 962288
|
Tip-off hotline: 52920043

沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403
|
网络视听许可证：0909346
|
广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
|
增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012

Time stands still in center of Prague

Email this to your friend