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One of the greatest historical sights in the stylish capital of the Czech Republic is the Prague Astronomical Clock - the so-called Prague Orloj. It is located at the south wall of Old Town City. It has three main parts - astronomical dial (which displays the position of the Sun and the Moon), including the sky and astronomical details. The other part is called "The Walk of the Apostles". The third part is a calendar with medallions symbolizing the months of the year. The first clock, which was built on a spot, was errected in the distant 1410 by Mikulas of Kadan. Later, Gothic sculptures were added. In its history, the clock started and stopped several times, but it underwent various repairment. It also burnt down one time, but was restored. The astronomical dial is actually built as a replica of "astrolabe". Astrolabe is a tool used in Medieval times in astronomy. The other view is that the Orloj is a primitive planetarium, showing a model of the universe. In the astronomical dial you can see the planets, the constellation and the sun. The signs of the zodiac are also represented. The sun which revolves around the zodiacal circle is golden!
When the golden hand is over the Roman numerals in the background, that indicates local Prague time. When the sun is above the curved golden lines, it means it is uneven hour. When the golden hands are above the outer circle, then this shows Old Czech time. The distance of the golden sun from the centre indicates sunrise and sunset.
Don't miss this wonderful sight, so characteristic of Prague, which has witnessed a big part of the city's history.