This is one of the coolest sights to see in all of Prague, because you get to see Prague from a bird's eye view. The Astronomical Clock is built on the Town Squares 15th Century tower with both the 12 apostles and the 12 signs of the Zodiac on it. And every hour, Christ himself comes out and marches in front of all while death, in the form of a skeleton, rings the bell to signify the new hour. It is such a spectacle that crowds form in front of this behemoth every hour to witness its splendour and wonder.

But the best part of the tower is up above its unique clock. For the price of about $3 ($2 for students) you can ride the elevator up to the top of the tower and hang out in the lookout balcony. This balcony wraps around the entire tower, giving you the best view of Prague, bar none.

The one down side to this viewing balcony, is that on a beautiful day, the crowds are astronomical (sorry for the pun, but it works) and extremely annoying. People will push and shove and jump in front of every picture you are trying to take. But, to look down on the red roofed paradise that is Prague is amazing and totally worth the vertigo. And if are there on the new hour, you can look down on the crowd in the square as they stare up to you, wondering how the hell you got up there. Enjoy.

The detail in the clock is truly amazing. At certain times of the day little statues pop out and almost put on a show. Plus, since this is an astronomical clock, it tells much more than just the time. It really is one of the most unique things I've seen.

This clock took more than 10 years to make. The artisan who designed and built it was a genius. It shows the movement of the sun, the stars, and the constellations as the clock turns every day. Amazing work of art right in the center of Old Town.

The townspeople then decided they would blind the artisan when the project was completed in order that he could not produce the same wonder anywhere else in the world. In the spirit of true Bohemia!

The Astronomical Clock is a hard sight to miss. It figures prominently in the Old Town Square and goes into action every hour, on the hour. Most tour books and walking guides explain what the clock and its characters represent. Also, you can walk up the clock tower to an outdoor deck. You can get some really fabulous panoramic views of Prague. Yes, there are a lot of stairs, but there is also an elevator if you prefer to save your energy for all the other sights there are to see in the city!

Try to make time to visit the astronomical clock in Staromestske namesti at the top of the hour. The medieval clock by itself is gorgeous, but on the hour it puts on a good show with moving characters and loud bells. The hourly celebration is nothing spectacular when you compare it with what you see in Hollywood movies, but when you realize the mechanism is more than 500 years old, it becomes pretty impressive.

The clock is in the town hall (Staromestska radnice), which itself has an impressive history. Dating back to the 1300s, the town hall has seen all kinds of violence, from religious executions in the 17th century to occupation and subsequent destruction by the Nazis. The clock added on in the 15th century, and legend has it the maker of the mechanical figures – Master Hanus – was blinded by hot pokers by the town leaders to ensure that he never built anything as beautiful for anyone else.

At the top of the clock tower, apostles rotate around in two windows, and that’s usually all people focus on. But make sure to watch the figures below. On the right is a skeleton, which pulls the cord that makes the bell toll, and a man who admires himself in a mirror. On the left is a professor-looking character that nods his head, and a man with a sack. These characters actually represent the four threats to the city – Death, Vanity, a Turk, and a Jew. Sounds like the setup to a bad joke, but it’s really true.

The figures at the bottom don’t move, but they’re very pretty. They represent History, Philosophy, Astronomy and Religion.

As I mentioned above, the clock itself is a sight to see. In addition to telling the time in the usual fashion, it also shows the time in Roman numerals and Gothic numbers. The clock also charts the movements of the sun and the planets around the Earth and the through the signs of the zodiac.

The show is every hour, from 8am to about 8pm and lasts less than two minutes.