Prague Technical
A short story about two "miracles" of technology in Prague.
1. From the Vltava River along the winding and crowded Charles Street or through the deserted Clementinum, you can go to the heart of the Old Town - to the Old Town Square. The Prague meridian runs along its paving stones. If you stand on his golden stripe and make a wish, it will certainly come true. In the Middle Ages, time was determined by the meridian. The most interesting building on the square is the tower. Climbing to the very top of the tower, you can get to the observation deck. The Orloi clock on the tower is simply extraordinary. They were installed in the 15th century. Then it was impossible to be late for Mass. And people needed to know the exact time. Mikulas created the clock from Kadania. Redesigned Ganush at the end of the 15th century. For which he paid. The head of the city liked the watch very much. And he ordered to gouge out the eyes of the master, so that he would not create the best somewhere. He died in poverty.
Every hour a whole performance is played here, during which 12 apostles pass through the window above, and at the end of the action a rooster crows.
2. The male part of our family made the National Technical Museum, located at the following address: The museum is located at: Kostelní. 42, Praha 7. You can get there by trams 25 and 26 to the Letenské ná mě stí stop, from the stop go towards the Vltava to Kostelní street. This is a scientific exposition of both objects from the field of acoustics and astronomy, as well as vehicles, as well as instruments that measure time. It permanently houses exhibitions of exhibits of the most interesting technical areas: Photography, Printing, Architecture, Astronomy, Transport. The history of the museum itself begins in 1908. Its opening in Prague was very symbolic, the Czech Republic was one of the most technically advanced countries. Already at that time, the museum deservedly became the best in Europe.
Over time, the museum collected so many unique and interesting exhibits that in 1942 the Germans built a new building in occupied Prague so that all the exhibits could be exhibited at once. Now the museum has more than a million different exhibits, but only about 40 thousand exhibited at the same time, the area does not allow to place everything. The National Technical Museum has 5 exhibitions:
Photography - a huge collection of cameras from the 19th and 20th centuries and related equipment, various photographs, recreated photo studios and one of the very first cameras in the world.
Printing - a unique collection of printing machines, some of which are the only ones left in the world, the exhibition introduces visitors to the development of printing machines, various printing technologies, there are several working machines to demonstrate the printing process.
Architecture - a collection of historical and modern layouts of various buildings and engineering projects, drawings, history of the development of architecture and design of buildings, streets and cities.
Astronomy - a unique collection of astronomical equipment, maps, diagrams, an exhibition of astronomical clocks, instruments for observing the sky. The antique Renaissance astronomical clock still takes the breath away from museum visitors. Once they belonged to the famous astronomer and alchemist Tycho Brahe, and today they are one of the most valuable exhibits of the museum. There is also a collection of astronomical maps. And on a separate showcase there is a meteorite weighing 81 kg that fell on the territory of Argentina!
Transport - perhaps the most interesting exhibition, a huge collection of vehicles, bicycles, motorcycles, cars, planes, helicopters.
Military hall.
There are models of more than fifty types of weapons and military vehicles used by the Czech army during the last century.
The main thing is that in the museum many exhibits are working. It is clear that the dimensions will not allow you to ride in a retro car or a real steam locomotive or fly an airplane. But listen to the recording on the gramophone, record your voice, view a few frames on an old projector, get acquainted with the operation of some devices - please. Very entertaining.
