Old Town Hall · Prague
The Gothic tower of 1364 that carries Prague's astronomical clock of 1410, with the whole Old Town spread below.
Likely to sell out. The gallery sits 42 m above Old Town Square.
Why climb the tower
Old Town Square fills around the Orloj as the hour comes, and most visitors never go inside the building that carries it. The Old Town Hall was set up in 1338 as the seat of the Old Town's administration, and its Gothic tower was completed in 1364. The clock was installed on that tower later, on the southern wall.
Prague City Tourism puts the tower gallery at 42 m. From there the square lies open below you: the Týn Church, whose towers are 80 m high, the Jan Hus Memorial unveiled in 1915, and the roofs of the Old Town running off in every direction.
The tower has a lift, which Prague City Tourism lists as a separate fee paid on the day. It describes the way to the tower as barrier-free for wheelchair users. The historical interiors are a different matter, with no barrier-free access.
On 7 and 8 May 1945, during the Prague uprising, the Nazis fired on the square, and the wooden figures and the calendar dial burned. The machinery was repaired, the wooden Apostles were restored by Vojtěch Sucharda, and the Orloj ran again in 1948.
The clock, part by part
The clock on the Old Town Hall is three things at once: an astronomical dial, a calendar and a stage for moving figures. Here are its parts, from the oldest to the newest.
The dial
The upper dial is a form of mechanical astrolabe. Its background stands for the Earth and the sky, and the Sun and Moon move around a zodiac ring. The oldest part of the clock, this dial dates from 1410, when the horologist Mikuláš of Kadaň and the astronomer Jan Šindel created it.
The hour
Golden Roman numerals give local Prague time. Curved golden lines mark unequal hours, which stretch and shrink with the seasons. An outer ring of Schwabacher numerals on black counts Old Czech time, from sunset.
The Moon
The half-silvered, half-black Moon sphere turns to show the lunar phase. Wikipedia notes that a gravity-driven mechanism of probably the mid-17th century makes the Orloj unique among astronomical clocks in showing the Moon's phases.
The calendar
Added presumably around 1490, the calendar dial carries medallions with allegories of the months. The plate you see today is a copy of 1880, and the original by Josef Mánes is kept in the Prague City Museum.
The figures
Four figures beside the dial move on the hour. Wikipedia describes them as four things despised when the clock was made. Death, a skeleton, strikes the bell, and the others shake their heads.
The parade
On the hour two small windows above the dial slide open and twelve Apostle figures pass behind them. The figures were added after a repair in 1787–1791, and the wooden Apostles of today were restored after 1945.
The parts are described from the clock itself and from the documented history. Stories that rest on legend are marked as legends.
The clock and the square
The astronomical dial, the calendar dial, the windows of the Apostles, the Týn Church, the Old Town Hall Tower, the square from above and the roofs beyond.
The clock and its tower, three ways
The first card opens the Old Town Hall Tower ticket this guide describes. The second adds an introduction to the clock and an audio guide, and the third is a walk that stays outside. More things to do in Prague follow below.
Entry to the Old Town Hall Tower and its viewing gallery, from the activity provider Prague City Tourism. The ticket page also names the historical halls and the underground. It is valid for one day, and the booking calendar shows the starting times.
Visitors who want the view over the square and the building that carries the clock.
See dates ↗A tower ticket with a 20-minute introduction to the clock in English and an online audio guide for Old Town Square, from the activity provider Get Prague Guide. The voucher is exchanged for the tower ticket, and you need a phone and headphones.
Visitors who want the clock explained before they climb.
See dates ↗A guided walk of about 90 minutes, run in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish, through the Jewish Quarter and the Old Town, passing the astronomical clock. It stays outside, and the ticket page says it is not suitable for wheelchair users.
Getting your bearings on foot, with no climb.
See dates ↗Check dates for the tower ticket ↗
More to do in Prague
Before you go up
The tower ticket is valid for one day, and the booking calendar shows the starting times. Choose the date before you plan the rest of the day around the climb.
The ticket page names items that are not allowed in the tower: baby strollers, luggage or large bags, food and drinks, tripods, selfie sticks, professional cameras and drones. Assistance dogs are allowed.
Prague City Tourism lists the tower lift as a separate fee paid on the day. The climb on foot is part of the ticket, so you can choose on the day.
The GetYourGuide ticket names the historical halls and the underground. Prague City Tourism describes the guided circuits of the interiors as a surcharge paid on the spot, on announced dates. Ask at the desk which applies.
The Walk of the Apostles plays on the outside wall, so it costs nothing to watch from Old Town Square. The apostles guide explains where to stand.
Prague City Tourism says visitors under 15 may enter only with an adult aged 18 or over. The booking calendar shows the age categories offered on your date.
The Orloj, its towers and its past: guides
Where to watch Where to watch the Orloj's Walk of the Apostles, who the moving figures are, and what the tower gallery and the chapel chamber add to the view from the square.
Read the guide → Two Old Town towers Prague's Old Town Hall Tower and the Old Town Bridge Tower at Charles Bridge compared: the view each gives, the climb, access and what each tower is for.
Read the guide →FAQ
Yes. The parade plays on the outside wall of the Old Town Hall, so you can watch it from Old Town Square without entering the building.
No. Prague City Tourism lists the tower lift as a separate fee paid on the day, so the ticket covers the way up on foot.
Prague City Tourism describes the way to the tower as barrier-free for wheelchair users, and the GetYourGuide ticket is marked wheelchair accessible. The historical interiors are not barrier-free.
For one day. The booking calendar shows the starting times for the date you choose.
The ticket page names baby strollers, luggage or large bags, food and drinks, tripods, selfie sticks, professional cameras and drones. Assistance dogs are allowed.
Take the tower ticket for the view, the audio-guide ticket if you want the clock explained first, and the walking tour if you want to stay at street level.
No. The Orloj is on the Old Town Hall in Old Town Square. The Powder Tower is a separate Gothic city gate on the edge of the Old Town.
Prague City Tourism says visitors under 15 may enter only with an adult aged 18 or over.
Fares appear in your own currency on the booking page. The figure on this page is a US dollar guide price.