In Prague, passers-by gather in front of a clock whose dials and figures make up a show. A famous story lends him a builder punished so that he can never reproduce his work. However, this story belongs to the legend, not to a proven biography.
The astronomical clock was built in 1410 by Mikuláš of Kadaň. The master Hanuš, often placed at the center of the legend, intervenes later, at the end of the 15th century, to perfect the mechanism. Mixing the two men thus transforms several stages of the monument into a single dramatic scene.
The real clock already retains something to fascinate: an old mechanism, representations of time and sky, then a parade of characters. Repairs and transformations are part of its long history. It is not necessary to treat a tale as evidence to look at what is happening on its façade. Sometimes the most unusual detail is to discover that the known story hid the first craftsman.
What we know
The account of blindness is a legend; the construction of 1410 and subsequent interventions are distinguished.
To go to the source
- Prague City Tourism — Old Town Hall with Astronomical Clock (new tab)↗
- Ville de Prague — Virtual tour, astronomical clock (new tab)↗
References accessed October 11, 2026. Linked pages may be in another language.
Signaler une erreur ou apporter une précision
