one of the major sights of the Prague

During the day (9am to 9pm), the clock performs on the hour

26/09/2009 13:40

  • To the right of the main dial, a figure of Death in the form of a skeleton starts the show by inverting the hourglass in his hand. Beside him, a figure of a Turk shakes his head.

  • On the other side of the main dial are two of the Seven Deadly Sins. A figure representing Vanity admires himself in a hand mirror. Beside him, Avarice waves a bag of money.

  • Above the main dial, two doors open. Inside we can see a procession of 12 saints; these are St Paul and the 11 faithful apostles. (Judas the betrayer is not included). The saints march past the windows, each one turning to look out as he reaches the window.

  • When all the saints have looked out, the doors shut, a cock crows and a bell chimes the hour. A 24-hour format is used for the bell: for example, at 3pm it chimes 15 times.

    BBC

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