The Czech Republic and its time zone, changes to summer and winter time, or its most interesting clocks.
The whole of the Czech Republic lies in the Central European time zone (CET = UTC + 1).
The twenty four hour format is employed very frequently, especially in transport timetables, cultural programmes and generally on printed materials. The twelve hour format for telling the time is used mainly in everyday speech.
The last Sunday in March clocks in the Czech Republic go forward because the country switches over to summer time. So on the night from Saturday to Sunday move your clocks from two to three (2:00 CET to 3:00 CEST), unless your smart phone does the job for you. Summer time lasts half a year and ends on the last Sunday in October, when at three o’clock the clocks go back to two (3:00 CEST to 2:00 CET).
Absolutely unquestionably, first position among the most famous clocks in Prague and the entire Czech Republic is held by the Astronomical Clock on Old Town Square. First records of this unique item in historical sources date back to 1410 and therefore it is most likely the best preserved medieval astronomical clock in the world. Interestingly, it is also the last clock in the world to show Babylonian as well as Old Czech time. Together with the centre of Prague it is inscribed on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and has experienced a chequered past, which you can learn more about here. At the top of each hour between 9:00 to 21:00 tourists gather under the striking clock to look at this technical miracle which has been admired for more than 600 years. And there is nothing that will deter the onlookers even though the sight of the moving statues is a little depressing - a popular figure on the Prague astronomical clock is a skeleton ringing the death bell.
Another astronomical clock can be found in Brno. Admittedly, it is at least 600 years younger than the one in Prague and technically it is not even an astronomical clock, yet it is referred to as such everywhere throughout the Czech Republic. Unless it is called by a different name that evokes its shape. Officially, the clock on Svobody Square in Brno is designed to resemble a bullet and commemorate the unsuccessful siege of the city by Swedish troops in 1645. Every day at eleven o'clock the "astronomical clock" releases a glass marble from its tip. However, time telling on this Brno clock is somewhat of a riddle to solve. In the upper part of the clockwork there is a visible magnifying glass that gradually displays 12 hour digits and between these there is a set of lines (denoting quarter past, half past, quarter to, full hour), which are to be taken into account. Two of the upper stone sections rotate in line with hours and minutes – the whole tip will turn around in one minute, the highest glass part will do the same in one hour, while the digits will need 12 hours to get back to where they started. Even if you consider it too complicated, you will undoubtedly still find the Brno astronomical clock to be a unique work of art made of granite imported from the distant South African Republic.
And finally, there is PRIM - a brand of watches of Czech production that almost disappeared at the end of the 1990s. Luckily, with the onset of the new millennium it began to regain its prestige. Thanks to readily available good-quality materials PRIM watches yet again became sought after both for casual wear and for special occasions. The new collections are created in cooperation with excellent Czech designers and experts and are available in both modern and retro designs with the use of new technologies and materials. PRIM watches are designed, produced and tested in the Czech Republic and today their quality is at the top level. Proof of their excellence is the fact that PRIM received the CZECH MADE certificate of quality.
The twenty four hour format is employed very frequently, especially in transport timetables, cultural programmes and generally on printed materials. The twelve hour format for telling the time is used mainly in everyday speech.
The last Sunday in March clocks in the Czech Republic go forward because the country switches over to summer time. So on the night from Saturday to Sunday move your clocks from two to three (2:00 CET to 3:00 CEST), unless your smart phone does the job for you. Summer time lasts half a year and ends on the last Sunday in October, when at three o’clock the clocks go back to two (3:00 CEST to 2:00 CET).
Tips for the most interesting clocks in the Czech Republic
Absolutely unquestionably, first position among the most famous clocks in Prague and the entire Czech Republic is held by the Astronomical Clock on Old Town Square. First records of this unique item in historical sources date back to 1410 and therefore it is most likely the best preserved medieval astronomical clock in the world. Interestingly, it is also the last clock in the world to show Babylonian as well as Old Czech time. Together with the centre of Prague it is inscribed on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and has experienced a chequered past, which you can learn more about here. At the top of each hour between 9:00 to 21:00 tourists gather under the striking clock to look at this technical miracle which has been admired for more than 600 years. And there is nothing that will deter the onlookers even though the sight of the moving statues is a little depressing - a popular figure on the Prague astronomical clock is a skeleton ringing the death bell.
Another astronomical clock can be found in Brno. Admittedly, it is at least 600 years younger than the one in Prague and technically it is not even an astronomical clock, yet it is referred to as such everywhere throughout the Czech Republic. Unless it is called by a different name that evokes its shape. Officially, the clock on Svobody Square in Brno is designed to resemble a bullet and commemorate the unsuccessful siege of the city by Swedish troops in 1645. Every day at eleven o'clock the "astronomical clock" releases a glass marble from its tip. However, time telling on this Brno clock is somewhat of a riddle to solve. In the upper part of the clockwork there is a visible magnifying glass that gradually displays 12 hour digits and between these there is a set of lines (denoting quarter past, half past, quarter to, full hour), which are to be taken into account. Two of the upper stone sections rotate in line with hours and minutes – the whole tip will turn around in one minute, the highest glass part will do the same in one hour, while the digits will need 12 hours to get back to where they started. Even if you consider it too complicated, you will undoubtedly still find the Brno astronomical clock to be a unique work of art made of granite imported from the distant South African Republic.
And finally, there is PRIM - a brand of watches of Czech production that almost disappeared at the end of the 1990s. Luckily, with the onset of the new millennium it began to regain its prestige. Thanks to readily available good-quality materials PRIM watches yet again became sought after both for casual wear and for special occasions. The new collections are created in cooperation with excellent Czech designers and experts and are available in both modern and retro designs with the use of new technologies and materials. PRIM watches are designed, produced and tested in the Czech Republic and today their quality is at the top level. Proof of their excellence is the fact that PRIM received the CZECH MADE certificate of quality.