The horologe
The horologe was constructed already in 1410 by the master
Mikuláš z Kadaně. But its mastermind is a mathematician, an astronomer, a
medical doctor and a professor at the Charles University, Ondřej Šindler. This
architectural work is often unjustly accredited to the master Hanuš z Růže. He
just did some maintenance of the horologe at the end of 15th century. In the
years 1552 – 1560 the horologe was improved by the clerk Jan Táborský z
Klokotské Hory. The legend also says that Mikuláš z Kadaně was blinded after
finishing his masterpiece not to build another horologe anymore. Neither this
legend is true. By contrast, he got a nice house for his work. Whole horologe
has three floors:
- The upper floor has a small roof and there are two
windows. They open every single hour and the figures of the bowed down apostles
appear. The sculptor Vojtěch Sucharda is the author of these figures. The
original statuettes, which were made in 1864 by Eduard Veselý, were destroyed
in 1945 during the rebellion against the Nazis in Prague. In the time of
apostolic promenade also four little lower placed statuettes are introducing
themselves. There is a skeleton, which rolls over the sandglass and beckons to
the stature of a Turk. He turns his head disapprovingly to show the skeleton,
that he’s not interested in his offer. There is also introduced a figure of a
coxcomb, which is stirring his purse. The whole ceremony in finished by a crow
of a cock, which appears upon the windows with the apostles.
- The middle floor of the horologe called the sphere (the dial) demonstrates the movement of the spheres in the appearance from the times, when the Earth was known to be the middle of the universe. It illustrates the movement of the Moon and also shows the actual time. It was made in the times, when the people didn’t use our time yet, so there’s no seconds hand. Its dial was delineated additionally, 150 years after the birth of the horologe. There are gold roman numerals in blue, brown and black panes. The time is shown on them by a gold arm of the sun raffia.
When Koperník was born, the horologe already showed 63 years. So that’s no surprise that it’s built in the geocentrical scheme.- The third, lower part of the horologe contains the calendar board alias “the monthly”. In the middle of it is a mark of the Old Town. Around it the three illustration circles are moving. In the inner part are twelve zodiac pictures. In the middle part are twelve medallions with the countryside theme. The third, outer circle is divided into 365 parts in four designs, which demonstrate the days in the year.
The originals of the medallions were made by Josef Mánes in 1866. On the dial, there are also the equator, both tropics and a rotary zodiac. Their proportions were got by projecting the sky from the North Pole.
The horolog is placed at the eastern side of the Old Town town hall tower. It shows a lot of information, f. e. what’s the Central European time, the Babylonian time or the sideral time. We can see, in which sign the sun presently is, when it rises, culminates and goes down. We can also find out, what’s the actual year season. The horologe also says us the date and the day of the week. It belongs among the most touristy Prague showplace.
