The tower clock is returning to the Old Town Hall

Prague - After several months, the tower clock is returning to the Old Town Hall in Prague. It could be completely installed by mid-week, and should show the time starting from March 8. The monochrome dials that were removed from the tower last spring will be replaced with black and gold dials. Their appearance will thus resemble that from 1787, when the tower clock first appeared at the Old Town Hall. This was stated to ČTK by the clockmaker Petr Skála.

"The old dials were in very poor condition and had no historical value because they were post-war. It was decided that entirely new dials would be installed there," said Skála to ČTK. The numbers are removable from the dials, which is advantageous in case it is necessary to restore the colors. The production of the new dials took place from last November to mid-February. They are made of stainless steel, and each weighs 110 kilograms, which is 140 kilograms less than the weight of the previous dials. The top edge of the clock is at a height of 38 meters, and the dials have a diameter of 329 centimeters.

Skála currently has the machine of the Old Town Astronomical Clock in his workshop, which is being returned to its pre-war state. "When the paint is removed, it will reveal all the sins that are there, so I will be repairing a whole number of inappropriate electrical welds that were made after the war, and we really have to get that machine into perfect condition," said Skála. The clock mechanism is now disassembled into parts, and Skála will return the mechanism to its form from 1860. The technical devices that were in the clock since the reconstructions after the Second World War will not return to the Old Town Hall. The clock stopped on January 8 and should be back in the tower by the end of August at the latest.

In addition to Skála, several restorers are working on the clock. The restorers will restore the original meaning of the statues representing the three worst human sins: pride, greed, and envy, and the three most beautiful human virtues: compassion, generosity, and modesty. The restorers will have a lot of work with the stone decorations, which were damaged in places by vandals. The astrolabe will take on an appearance corresponding to historical documents. Academic painter Stanislav Jirčík is painting a new copy of the calendar plate based on the original by Josef Mánes.

The repair of the clock and the tower clock is part of the reconstruction of the Old Town Hall, which began last April. During the first phase, the stability of the stones that were separating was secured, grills were added to the balcony windows for safety, and the golden elements on the tower were polished. The balcony was opened to the public last December. Now the repair of the clock and the chapel of the Old Town Hall follows. Everything is expected to be completed by this September. The capital city will pay 48 million crowns excluding VAT for the complete reconstruction.