Sunday Post: How many hours to Sunset?

Posted on by BonnieReadsAndWrites

This is my first Sunday Post in about a month I think. I’ve been slammed with work in Germany, so no time for posting and I’ve fallen behind on all my reviews. Retirement is coming up in less than three months, so plenty of time to catch up. Yesterday I took a tour to Prague to kick off our long holiday weekend. See below

The Prague Astronomical Clock or Prague Orloj at Prague Old Town Hall

This is one of the most crowd-fascinating historical features in Prague. There was always a crowd surrounding the clock, waiting for it to strike a new hour. Some of the features were not on the clock yesterday, as it was undergoing maintenance, so I didn’t get the full view. This clock will tell you how many hours it is until sunset. On one side you see the shiny sun and on the other side is the silver moon.

The clock was installed in 1410, and it is the third-oldest astronomical clock in the world and the only one still in operation. It was partially destroyed by the Nazis near the end of World War II.

This is from Wikipedia: “In 1552 it was repaired by Jan Táborský (1500–1572), master clockmaker of Klokotská Hora. The clock stopped working many times in the centuries after 1552, and was repaired many times. The legend was used as the main plot in the 2008 animated film Goat story – The Old Prague Legends.

In 1629 or 1659 wooden statues were added, and figures of the Apostles were added after a major repair in 1787–1791. During the next major repair in the years 1865–1866, the golden figure of a crowing rooster was added.

The Orloj suffered heavy damage on 7 and especially 8 May 1945, during the Prague uprising, when the Nazis fired on the south-west side of the Old Town Square from several armoured vehicles in an unsuccessful attempt to destroy one of the centers of the uprising. The hall and nearby buildings burned, along with the wooden sculptures on the clock and the calendar dial face made by Josef Mánes.[6] After significant effort, the machinery was repaired, the wooden Apostles restored by Vojtěch Sucharda, and the Orloj started working again in 1948.[7]

The Orloj was renovated in autumn 2005, when the statues and the lower calendar ring were restored. The wooden statues were covered with a net to keep pigeons away.

The last renovation of the astronomical clock was carried out from January to September 2018, following a reconstruction of the Old Town Tower. During the renovation, an electric clock mechanism that had been in operation since 1948 was replaced by an original mechanism from the 1860s.[8]

See below a Youtube video showing the clock strike a new hour. It is fascinating.

UPCOMING ON BONNIE READS AND WRITES

I will be posting two reviews I did for the May issue of Historical Novels Review, the magazine of The Historical Novel Society. They are THE CAPTIVE and THE GUARDIAN, Books 2 and 3 of THE MENDER SERIES by Jennifer Marchman. My review of Book One and Q&A with the author is here.

I am catching up on my Netgalley Shelf, so I’m reading MIND GAMES by Nora Roberts and then I will provide other reviews as well. I’m returning home on June 7th, and retiring August 16th.

I also want to direct you to a past Memorial Day tribute I’ve done for my Uncle, Wayne Jenkins, who died in Vietnam. We will never forget you, Uncle Wayne.

More Prague pictures:

How about you? How was your week?

Published by BonnieReadsAndWrites

I love to read and write book reviews in my free time. I review advance review copies of books on Netgalley for various publishers. I am also a reviewer for Historical Novels Review Magazine, the magazine of the Historical Novel Society. I review books from publishers of all size, large to small. I have a special place in my heart for indie authors. I will sometimes post a little writing that I might dabble in occasionally. I also am lucky enough to live in the Smoky Mountains, so I'll be sharing photos of the beauty around me from time to time.

31 thoughts on “Sunday Post: How many hours to Sunset?”

  1. The clock is absolutely fascinating, Bonnie. Thank you for posting! Amazing…and beautiful photos of Prague. That’s one thing our country lacks, our architecture is relatively modern compared to gorgeous European structural antiquities. And a beautiful tribute to your uncle.

    Liked by 1 person

      1. I have a new Amanda Travels book coming out June 1! This one I self-published too. I was waiting to contact you about it when you got back. You will love retirement and travelling in Europe with your family.

        Liked by 1 person

  9. Thanks for sharing your pictures that a very cool looking clock. Hope you enjoy your retirment who knows when that will happen for me caregiving is unpredicatble.

    Liked by 1 person

Leave a comment