The Nightwatchbear’s first stop – Astronomical Clock

Welcome to our new post series called “The Nightwatchbear of Prague!” If you’ve been on our tours, you might have met one of our Nightwatchmen, but we’d like to introduce you to this little guy as well! He’ll be traveling to a new destination around the city, and we’ll be documenting his travels. And who knows? You might even learn something new about a famous (or not-so-famous) location. For example…

The Nightwatchbear’s first stop is the Astronomical Clock! Built in 1410 by a man named Hanuš, it keeps time, of course, but it does so much more than that. Aside from Civil time, the time that we are all familiar with, it also keeps German time, Babylonian time, Old Bohemian time, and Sidereal time. On top of all of those, it also keeps track of the moon phases and the sun’s position in relation to the zodiac! It truly is a one-of-a-kind invention!

On our Nightwatchman tour, we pass by the Astronomical Clock and move on to the story behind the white crosses on the pavement near the clock. The history is a bit… bloody.

Want to know more? Join our Nightwatchman tour!