As you wander and wonder at what you are seeing, you will suddenly come across the Old Town Square, and the first thing you might see is a crowd of people staring at a clock, especially if it is about to strike the hour. This is the Town Hall Clock, a fascinating astronomical clock. But don’t expect astronomical accuracy. This clock was designed when people still believed that the earth was the center of the universe and that the sun and the stars revolved around it. Nevertheless, it is a masterpiece of clock making and engineering.a​—See the box on this page.

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The Astronomical Clock

The clock has three sections. On the hour the two windows in the upper portion open, allowing you to see a procession of the 12 apostles. Interestingly, Judas Iscariot and James the son of Alphaeus have been replaced by Paul and Barnabas, who are not counted among the 12 apostles in the Bible. Just below the apostles is a skeleton, the symbol of Death. It starts the process as an introduction to the apostles. In its left hand, it raises an hourglass, which is then inverted. Other moving figures are a cock crowing, a Turk shaking his head, Vanity looking in a mirror, and Greed in the form of an avaricious moneylender.

Among other things, the astronomical clock indicates three kinds of time​—old Bohemian time in Arabic numerals, our modern time in Roman numerals, and the 12-part division of daylight time according to the Babylonian system. Now you see why you need to spend time studying this ornate clock!