The three windows of the Astronomical Clock in Prague’s Old Town will remain empty for several weeks. The statues of St. Phillip, Thomas and Judy Tadeáš in the Old Town clock will be taken away for restoration work on Tuesday. They were damaged last year when vandals broke into the Old Town Hall.
On Tuesday, 30 May, the three damaged statues will be dismantled. It will take two to three weeks to repair them. During the repairs, the clock will be functional at all times, only with three of its windows empty.
The statues were damaged by vandals on 9 July 2022. The perpetrators broke the glass door separating the room with the apostles from the chapel, and the falling glass caused cutting defects of varying depth on the polychromy and wooden material of the three sculptures. After the repairs are completed, the statues will be returned to the observatory.
“I unequivocally condemn the destruction of historical and cultural monuments, and I have absolutely no understanding of this type of behaviour, especially if it is a unique object of international renown,” said Deputy Mayor for Culture and Heritage Jiří Pospíšil. “The Prague Astronomical Clock is a world rarity that attracts thousands of tourists to Prague every year. Just because of the vandals, it is now to be deprived of three statues for a few weeks.”
