The Old Town Hall was established in 1338 as the seat of the Old Town administration. The oldest part of the complex consists of a beautiful Gothic tower with a bay chapel and a unique astronomical clock – known as the Orloj – where, every hour between 9 am and 11 pm, the twelve apostles appear. The Gothic Revival eastern wing of the Town Hall was destroyed during the Prague Uprising on May 8, 1945 and was never rebuilt. The guided tour includes the historical halls, the tower and the underground areas. According to a legend by Jirásek, the astronomical clock was built by master Hanuš. After the completion, Prague councilmen had him blinded in order to prevent him from building a copy. Master Hanuš took his revenge by stopping the astronomical clock. In fact, the astronomical clock really did stop in 1865, and there was a risk that it would be removed. Luckily, Prague watchmaker Ludvík Hainz managed to repair the mechanism, and he became its caretaker together with his descendants.The astronomical clock is made up of three parts: at the top, there are mechanical figures. Every hour from 9.00 a.m. to 11.00 p.m., 12 apostles, each carrying his attribute, appear in the two windows below the small roof. In the left window, viewed from the visitors, the first to appear is St. Peter with a key, then St. Matthew with an axe, St. John with a chalice, St. Andrew with an X-shaped cross, St. Philip with a cross. St. James with a washboard, and in the right window, it is St. Paul with a book, St. Thomas with a spear, St. Simon with a saw, St. Thaddeus with boards, St. Bartholomew with leather, St. Barnabas with a scroll.
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