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joseantonio | all galleries >> Galleries >> PRAGUE > Old Town Hall with Astronomical Clock (Staroměstská radnice s orlojem)
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04-MAR-2017

Old Town Hall with Astronomical Clock (Staroměstská radnice s orlojem)

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.

Canon EOS 70D
0.80s f/5.6 at 17.0mm iso200 full exif

other sizes: small medium large original auto
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MarcViskens25-Mar-2017 18:39
Very beautiful
Julie Oldfield23-Mar-2017 18:10
Fantastic exposure and perspective. V
Buz Kiefer22-Mar-2017 21:27
Splendid color and detail. Vote.
Tom Munson20-Mar-2017 18:39
Terrific image, Jose.
chris morton20-Mar-2017 18:35
nicely lit
laine20-Mar-2017 18:22
Having seen photos of the damage this clock suffered during WW2 it has been restored beautifully
Dave Petersen Photography20-Mar-2017 17:23
Very nicely exposed to capture the lighting and wonderful details. What an amazing clock and historical feeling. You go to so many fantastic places to visit and capture in your images. Very nice work! V
Jeff Real20-Mar-2017 17:21
Some of the most amazing details I have ever seen ~V~
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