09/13/2026
“Look closely… 😱 The skeleton beside Prague’s famous clock represents DEATH. Every hour, it rings a bell and turns its hourglass — a 600-year-old reminder that TIME waits for no one. ⏳💀🕰️”
Would you have the courage to stand beneath this clock at midnight? 👀👇
The Prague Astronomical Clock (Pražský orloj), also called the Old Town Astronomical Clock, is one of Prague’s most famous medieval landmarks. It is mounted on the Old Town Hall in Prague’s Old Town Square.
⏳ Key facts
Installed: 1410
Location: Old Town Hall, Old Town Square, Prague
Original clockmaker: Mikuláš of Kadaň
Later improvements: Master Hanuš of Růže
Age: More than 600 years
Apostles: 12 figures appear every hour
Hourly show: Currently takes place from 8:00 AM to 11:00 PM.
🔭 What makes it special?
The clock has three principal sections:
Astronomical dial — displays various astronomical information and different historical systems of time.
The Walk of the Apostles — the twelve apostles appear in the windows every hour.
Calendar dial — shows the day, month, and related calendar information.
During the hourly procession, several figures around the clock also move. A skeleton representing Death pulls a bell rope, while figures symbolizing vanity, greed and other human characteristics react to him. A rooster then appears to announce the end of the procession.
🏰 The famous legend
One of Prague's best-known legends says that Master Hanuš was blinded by Prague councillors so that he could never build another clock as magnificent elsewhere. According to the legend, he later took revenge by damaging the mechanism.
However, this is a legend, not established historical fact. Prague's official tourism authority identifies the actual builder as Mikuláš of Kadaň and says Hanuš later perfected the mechanism.
The clock has also survived serious historical events, including the 1945 Prague Uprising, when the Old Town Hall was badly damaged by fire and shelling. The astronomical clock itself was damaged, and its apostle figures were subsequently replaced.
Interesting fact: The Prague Astronomical Clock is particularly remarkable because it can display Babylonian/unequal hours, in which the length of an hour changes according to the season. Prague's official tourism site describes it as the only astronomical clock capable of measuring this historical system.