Interesting Facts about the Astronomical Tower in Prague, Czech Republic.

Prague is full of Gothic buildings and you are sure to find an interesting story associated with each one of these buildings. Well, same is true about the Astronomical Tower in Prague. 

Here is one interesting story that I heard about this tower.

The locals claim that when the mechanical figures were created, town officials had the clockmaker blinded so that he would never duplicate his masterpiece. In vengeance, the blind man climbed the tower and stopped his creation. The clock remained silent for more than fifty years. Centuries later, during dreary decades of communist domination, the legend of the blinded clockmaker became a Metaphor for thwarted creativity.

Also, this story is very similar to that of Taj Mahal. You don't know the story? Well, here is the short version.

Mughal emperor Shah Jahan ordered his chief architect, ustaad Ahmad Lahori, to build a magnificent tomb for his most beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal, who died in her early 30s. The emperor wanted to build two tombs. First tomb was built for his deceased wife. After completing the work on the white marbled tomb, the emperor was so impressed by the work of his 20,000 men that he ordered to get their hands cut so that they couldn't replicate it for someone else! (and you thought your boss was bad!)

Shah Jahan's son didn't think that building a second tomb, a replica of the Taj Mahal but build in complete back marble, was not a cool idea so only one was constructed.

Anyway, enough of Taj Mahal.

World's oldest working Astronomical Tower.