CZECH REPUBLIC: Prague's astronomical clock is back to entertain tourists after two months of silence
- 00:00:16
- ITN Source
CZECH REPUBLIC: Prague's astronomical clock is back to entertain tourists after two months of silence
For two months, Prague's astronomical tower has been silent, and Prague missed the familiar noise of one of its most famous landmark. But now it's back and ticking again. The astronomical clock overlooking Prague's Old Town Square was built in 1410 by clock maker Mikulas. In 1490, Master Hanus perfected the clock. According to legend, Prague's counsellors blinded Hanus so he would not be able to do a copy of the rare clock anywhere else. The moving figures of twelve apostles were added in the seventeen century, giving the clock its current appearance. For years, dozens of visitors stand in Prague's Old Town Square to witness the chiming of the astronomical clock. Every hour on the hour, a small trap door opens and reveals a statue of Christ marching ahead of his disciples, while the skeleton of death tolls the bell to a defiant statue of a Turk. But for the last two months, visitors have been deprived from the experience as the clock underwent some reparations and cleaning. In the workshop of Ludvik Hainz firm -- the same firm that had carried out repairs in 1865, the clock engine was cleaned, the astronomical dial was repainted, and the apostles repaired. Prague's Clock Master Otakar Zamecnik was in charge of taking care of the the clock's mechanism. On Monday (November 1), Zamecnik completed the last phase of the renovation process, and made the final adjustment to the clock and the mechanism moving the apostles. "The mechanism can only be set up just here. It is assembled from several medal parts by jacks. When you take it into parts and set it back up, you have to adjust the supporting flat medal parts carefully, so it works properly again. It all must be exactly tuned, and this wire must be tensed to the millimetre," Zamecnik explained. The clock stopped a few times in the past. It seriously broke down in 1865, and clock master Ludvik Hainz carried out the repairs. The clock was heavily damaged during Prague's insurrection at the end of World War Two (May 1945). A fire burnt most of the apostles in 1948. In 1965, the clock mechanism was replaced and a new chronometer installed. The last time it stopped was in 2002, when the electricity was interrupted because of major flooding. Tick tock... The clock is now back, alive and ticking. And tourists can enjoy once more the hourly procession.
ITN Source | November 5, 2005
