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600-year-old clock in the city of Prague is the World’s oldest astronomical clock still in operation

The Orloj is a 600-year-old clock mounted on the southern wall of Old Town Hall in the Old Town Square in the city of Prague. It is the World’s oldest astronomical clock still in operation. The clock mechanism itself has three main components and statues of various Catholic saints on either side and a skeleton figure (representing death) strikes the time. It features a calendar dial with medallions representing the months and an astronomical dial and zodiac ring.

According to local legend, “Once the Old Town Astronomical Clock stops running for a long time the Czech nation will suffer bad times and the skeleton was supposed to confirm this fact by nodding his head.”

The lore goes on to state the only sign of hope would be the birth of a boy on the New Year´s night. Once the clock sets back in, the boy is allegedly supposed to “run out of the Týn Church across the whole square to the town hall. He has to run very fast to arrive before the last strike of the clock. If he makes it he will quit the skeleton´s evil power and avert all the evil.”