Prague to dismantle its famous clock calendar after it turns out not to resemble the original

This is not the first time it has been modified: it was last restored in 2018, apparently, not very well.

After a year of controversy, the Orloj calendar, Prague’s iconic Astronomical Clock, is being removed again. The clock itself has been in operation since 1410, and its images depicting the months of the year were painted by Josef Manes in 1866 during the restoration of the clock tower. Since 1882, however, only copies of the images have been on display on the clock tower, while the highly valuable original work has been kept in a museum to protect it from the weather.

In 2018, painter and restorer Stanislav Jircík carried out a major touch-up of the paintings, but many have noticed that the portraits in the new calendar do not faithfully reflect those of the 19th century, and it is clear from comparative images that Jircík has significantly altered the faces of several figures. After lengthy negotiations, the municipality has agreed with the original contractor to renovate the calendar, but the calendar itself will now be produced by the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague.

Source: expats.cz
Cover photo: Jack Hunter/Unsplash

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