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Jindrisska Tower (Jindřišská věž)

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Jindrisska Tower

The Jindrisska Tower is a historic bell tower, first built in the 15th century. Renovated in 2001 the tower now features a restaurant and a 10th floor lookout where you have great views over the city.

History

At 65.7 meter (216 ft), the Jindrisska Tower is the tallest free-standing bell tower in Prague. Its history goes back to 1475 when it was built in wood as the bell tower of the Church of St. Henry and Kunhuta (kostel sv Jindrich a Kunhuty), the parish church of New Town.

The current stone version was built at the end of the 16th century. The tower was damaged several times, first by the Swedish in 1648 and later by the Prussian army in 1757. And finally a storm in 1801 destroyed the tower's roof.

The tower was restored in 1879 by J. Mocker, who also renovated the Church of St. Henry and Kunhuta. Mocker gave both the church and the bell tower their current neo-gothic appearance.

Lookout

The tower was once again restored in 2001. This time the outer walls were kept intact while the interior was completely modernized. The tower's ten floors can now be accessed via either a staircase or an elevator.

The top floor functions as a lookout from where you have a great view over the historic center of Prague. Below the lookout, on the 7th to 9th floors is a restaurant. The tower also contains a small museum and a shop.

Carillon

At the top of the tenth floor, above the lookout platform are a series of large bells. The largest and oldest one, named 'Maria' was cast in 1518 and weighs 723 kg. In 2003 a carillon was installed here with 10 new, smaller bells cast by Petr Rudolf Manousek. The bells are named after the many former bells that were once in this tower but were lost or melted down. Every hour the carillon plays one of more than 1000 preprogrammed tunes. Unlike with most carillons, the melodies can only be heard inside the tower.

Source: a View on Cities

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