Facts:
• type of ceremony – civil
• available dates – Tue, Thu, Fri, Sat
• ceremony time – 10.00 a.m. – 3.00 p.m.
• ceremonies take place at the beautiful ceremony hall, located at 1st floor. The room combines modern design with historical premises
• capacity of the hall is up to 130, approx. 20 seats for the closest family
• length of the ceremony is around 25 min
• ceremony is in Czech, translated into English (or any other language)
• organ music
About:
After King John of accorded the citizens of Prague the privilege of having their own district council in 1338, they decided to build a Town hall, paid for by a duty levied on wine. The almost 70 meters high tower was completed in 1364. Due to continuous expansions, the building now is a colourful collection of gothic and renaissance-style facades.
The first clock of the Town hall dates back to the beginning of the 15th century. Clock maker Hanus, who perfectioned the construction in 1490 was – according to the legend – made blind by the city council to prevent him from a more beautiful clock elsewhere. Most of the mechanism still used today is made by Jan Taborsky between 1552 and 1572.
The clock is a magnet for tourists, especially just before the hour, when the twelve apostles march past. The skeleton on the right, depicting Death, starts the show by pulling on a string. In the meantime he looks at his other hand, in which he holds an hourglass. then, two windows open, from where the apostles march. After the ritual, a cock crows, other figures symbolize vanity, heathenism and parsimony.
Below the apostles is the astronomical clock, which has the earth in the middle of the universe. The clock was created to show the presumed rotation of the sun and the moon the earth. The clock also shows the movement of the sun and the moon to the signs of zodiac. Below the astronomical clock is a calendar. The calendar, built by Josef Manes in 1866, shows the days of the year together with symbolic pictures of the months of the year.
Virtual tour from the Old Town Hall
