Saturday, July 30, 2011

Prague and the Astronomical Clock.

We are now in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic and 2 days ago we did a walking and bus tour. My favourite thing I saw was the medieval astronomical clock on the City Hall in the Old Town Square. It is the 3rd oldest astronomical clock in the world and it is the only one that still works.  It had its 600th anniversary one year ago. It shows where the sun, moon and planets are and what day of the year we are and when the next eclipse will be. There are 4 statues of people on the side of the astronomical clock. One represents death and the passing of time, it is a skeleton that on every hour pulls a chain that rings the bell on top of the tower. Another person is a man looking in a mirror, another is a man playing a banjo and another man is holding a sword.  They were all things that were hated by the maker. On every hour after the bells ring a golden rooster that sits on top of the clock goes ''cookodoodel dooo'' and also flaps it's wings. There are also two big blue doors and on every hour the 12 apostles come out. At the end of all that a man dressed in an old costume stands at the top of the tower and plays a trumpet and then waves to all the people watching underneath. 
There is no astronomical clock in the world that has seen soooooooooo many years as this clock.    



http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/40/Schema_Orloj_en.png
M@D!$oN tic toc

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