Czech the Time in Praha
Time is never time at all
You can never ever leave
Without leaving a piece of youth
- Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins, Tonight Tonight, 1996)
A formative song in my life for many reasons that I won't bother delving into here, but the theme of time is one I (and likely every human on the planet who has remotely contemplated their existence) gravitate toward in art, literature, life. Time: that which prevents everything from happening at once. It provides structure, encourages productivity and transforms everything it touches. Perhaps it is this consistent metamorphosis that encourages us to make it tangible, a thing we can possess and control, to some extent. Perhaps this is why I am so fascinated by hourglasses, sundials, astronomical clocks...
While not the most elaborate astronomical clock I've seen during my travels, the Prague Orloj was a magnificent experience in its own right. Located in the Old Town Square and mounted on the wall of the Old Town City Hall, the medieval clock was first installed in 1410, making it the oldest working astronomical clock in the world (Orloj600let.cz, 2010). With a mechanical astrolabe used to predict the position of the planets, a zodiacal ring to determine the position of the sun and a vivid background depicting the local view of the sky, the mechanism is a marvel (Prague Information Service, 2010).
When the clock was constructed, it became the pride of the city and the envy of all Europe. After the death of the Bohemian clockmaker Master Hanus who had maintained the device, the Orloj stopped for a number of years. Legend says that this did not happen by chance, and that one night Prague's town councillors had hired men to blind the man and ensure that he could never divulge the clock's workings to another. Eventually Hanus discovered these plans and had his revenge, heading to the timepiece once more to stop its mechanisms, ensuring he would take the clock's secrets to the grave. It was said that the clock would remain silent until the Prague councillors' terrible actions had "faded away into oblivion" (Wagnerova, 2007, p.20).
Tales of Old Prague are fascinating to me. I very much look forward to going back and learning more of the city's fabled history.
You can never ever leave
Without leaving a piece of youth
- Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins, Tonight Tonight, 1996)
A formative song in my life for many reasons that I won't bother delving into here, but the theme of time is one I (and likely every human on the planet who has remotely contemplated their existence) gravitate toward in art, literature, life. Time: that which prevents everything from happening at once. It provides structure, encourages productivity and transforms everything it touches. Perhaps it is this consistent metamorphosis that encourages us to make it tangible, a thing we can possess and control, to some extent. Perhaps this is why I am so fascinated by hourglasses, sundials, astronomical clocks...
Intense astronomical clock inside Notre-Dame de Strasbourg
While not the most elaborate astronomical clock I've seen during my travels, the Prague Orloj was a magnificent experience in its own right. Located in the Old Town Square and mounted on the wall of the Old Town City Hall, the medieval clock was first installed in 1410, making it the oldest working astronomical clock in the world (Orloj600let.cz, 2010). With a mechanical astrolabe used to predict the position of the planets, a zodiacal ring to determine the position of the sun and a vivid background depicting the local view of the sky, the mechanism is a marvel (Prague Information Service, 2010).
Prague Orloj in all its glory. So flippin' colourful. I love it.
When the clock was constructed, it became the pride of the city and the envy of all Europe. After the death of the Bohemian clockmaker Master Hanus who had maintained the device, the Orloj stopped for a number of years. Legend says that this did not happen by chance, and that one night Prague's town councillors had hired men to blind the man and ensure that he could never divulge the clock's workings to another. Eventually Hanus discovered these plans and had his revenge, heading to the timepiece once more to stop its mechanisms, ensuring he would take the clock's secrets to the grave. It was said that the clock would remain silent until the Prague councillors' terrible actions had "faded away into oblivion" (Wagnerova, 2007, p.20).
Tales of Old Prague are fascinating to me. I very much look forward to going back and learning more of the city's fabled history.
Hey! If you're interested in the history of chronology and the links between astronomical and modern clocks I've got some book suggestions. David S. Landes "Revolution in Time: Clocks and the Making of the Modern World" (1983) is deeply readable, but not quite as exciting as Gerhard Dohrn-Van Rossum's (sadly not the most skilfully translated) "History of the Hour: Clocks and Modern Temporal Orders" (1992 [German], 1996). Jacques Le Goff's "Time, Work, and Culture in the Middle Ages" (1982) in comparison to Rossum's work, but is really a classic too, especially a few choice chapters (so is, in my opinion, E. P. Thompson's essay "Time, Work-Discipline, and Industrial Capitalism," but that's more about time and labour than time reckoning).
ReplyDeleteIt's such a fascinating subject for me because more than being technologically sophisticated and beautiful pieces of technology, the whole idea of what an hour *was*, how it ought to be marked, and how to spread the idea of time (city/country time) were all such drastic social changes. It's funny that the hour glass (which was only a development of the middle ages) was once treated like some folks now complain about digital devices: a distracting tool which takes away from the enjoyment of life. Goodness, even the concept of time was once not that long ago considered to be circular, so even demarcating it into a progression of linear hours and days was considered a radical idea (see Le Goff's "Church time and merchant time in the Middle Ages" essay).
Oh my, that was a bit of a rant! (And not about beer!). It's great seeing all these old clocks!
Apologies for the delay in responding to your comment, Chris; the Blogger app leaves much to be desired and makes commenting while on the road quite difficult.
ReplyDeleteI really appreciate the recommendations. I had no idea it was such a compelling subject for you! That's a super interesting bit of info on the hourglass, too, though difficult to imagine. I'm glad to have you reading to get such awesome feedback, thanks!