Prague's Astronomical Clock (or Horolorgium, or Orloj) This is an incredibly old and complex instrument. First, old: installed in 1410, this is the oldest astronomical clock still operating. Second, complex: I’ll admit, as I stood staring at in the morning, I had absolutely no idea what time it was. The constellation of interweaving dials and arms was completely incomprehensible for me at the time (morning, without coffee). The complexity is due to the fact that this horolorgium (or astronomical clock, or orloj) is measuring several different things at once and each of these measures are built into one instrument in which all information radiates from a single central axis. This single central axis point is important because it means there’s an elaborate coordinated system of dials and arms arrayed on top of each other, meaning the information from this system is also arrayed on top of itself, and so you basically have a massive mess which would really be more useful if it were...
Adventures living abroad in Switzerland.