Old Town Hall was established with the agreement of King John of Luxembourg in 1338. It was constructed to serve as a town council hall. The hall is a row of houses which have been adapted with time as the town hall expanded. It is considered as one of the most important buildings in Prague. The chapel and north wing of the hall were destroyed during 1945 by the Nazis. These were initially built with Gothic inspiration. However, once they were destroyed, they were rebuilt by the famous Vojta Sucharda. The door of the Old Town Hall is eye-catching beautiful. It has ornate detailing on it and is the main entrance. Once you step inside, you will get tourist info.
You get a deep tour of the Old Town Hall as there is a lot to discover inside. It has dungeons and hidden rooms, which make it a lot more exciting and wonderful to discover! Once inside, you will lose yourself to the maze that this hall is and will crave to gain more and more information about all the rooms and why they were created.
The most famous part of the Old Town Hall is the Astronomical Clock, which is termed as the most elaborate clock that has ever been created. You can go around the world, but you won’t be able to find a clock as detailed and beautiful as this one. People gather around the hall to see the show of the clock that happens at every hour. The hourly procession is the most popular part of this clock, which shows the 12 Apostles. This clock was originally built in 1410 but then was recreated by Master Hanus is 1490, and since then, the clock has remained the way it is!
The height of the clock tower is 69.5m and if you want to view Prague from a completely different and eye-catching perspective, then do climb to the top of it. Inside this tower, you will also see the council chamber. In this chamber, the Bohemian kings were elected. You get access to the clock tower from the Old Town Hall. Once you enter, you will be guided to that tower as well.
The Old Town Hall is open on Monday’s from 11 am to 6 pm. The clock tower opens at 11 am on Mondays and closes at 8 pm. From Tuesday to Sunday, the hall is open at 9 am and closes at 6 pm. However, when the mayor of Prague visits, the hall and tower remain closed. Thus, it is always best to check before you visit.