Old Town Square & the Astrological Clock

After our group had checked in and settled in their rooms, our tour guide offered a short walking tour of the Old Town with the intent of seeing the famous Astrological Clock strike the hour.  This clock is over 600 years old and still works as designed and keeps accurate time!  Installed in 1410 it is the third oldest astronomical clock in the world and the oldest still working.

The clock face is quit different and in the style used during the medieval period for astrological clocks. The clock face includes the phases of the moon and the position of the sun as well as various other astrological and astronomical indications.  To learn more about the very interesting history of this clock, see Astrological Clock.  Above the clock face are two doors the open every hour on the hour and some figures parade by and in turn look out each door.  It's a short program, but very interesting and fun to see.

The album with this post also contains a video of the clock,striking the hour and the short animation that accompanies that.  The album also contains some nice photos around the Old Town square and nearby blocks, showing the buildings and a large statue.  The architecture of Prague is different, older, and more varied than Vienna and you can see the different styles in these photos.  Prague contains some of the oldest and also the most varied architectural styles of any city in the world.