Prague Orloj (astronomical clock)
Orloj de Praga (reloj astronómico)
- Date
- 1410 · confidence medium
- Place
- Old Town Hall, Prague, Czechia
- Credited to
- Mikuláš of Kadaň, with tradition adding Jan Šindel
- Field
- Knowledge & symbols
⚠️ Disputed: the sources disagree.
What it is
A mechanical astronomical clock that shows the time, the positions of the Sun and Moon in the zodiac and the lunar phases at once. It is the oldest such clock still in operation.
The 1410 date comes from a document of that year about the clock; the attribution of the astronomy to Jan Šindel rests on later sources and is debated. The legend of the clockmaker 'Master Hanuš' (1490) has no documentary basis. Its present appearance results from later renovations.
What it led to
- model of the monumental astronomical town-hall clock across Central Europe
- public dissemination of astronomy and calendar reckoning
- an urban landmark enlarged with a calendar dial and automata between the 15th and 19th centuries