Brick by brick: Giant Lego Astronomical Clock anchors new Prague flagship store

A three-meter astronomical clock built from 441,121 Lego bricks will welcome visitors to the company’s new flagship store in central Prague when it opens Oct. 22.

The two-floor Lego Store Praha Centrum on Na Příkopě will be the Danish toy company’s second official store in Czechia, and its most ambitious local retail project to date.

Instead of using only a few city-specific decorations, the 496-square-meter interior follows a single Prague theme. The astronomical clock will be joined by models of a city tram, Charles IV, the knight Bruncvík, a historical lamplighter, the Czech two-tailed lion and a suitably modern figure: a lost tourist.

The store’s centerpiece was designed and constructed at Lego’s production facility in Kladno, where dozens of employees spent more than eight months developing the model.

The physical assembly alone required more than 1,980 working hours. The completed structure weighs several hundred kilograms and measures approximately three meters in both height and width.

Rather than making a precise copy of the medieval astronomical clock on Old Town Square, its designers created a colorful, interactive interpretation.

“Unlike the real astronomical clock, which you can only look at from outside, our colleagues designed this one as a large music box,” Lubor Zelinka, head of the construction team, told iDNES.cz.

Visitors will be able to walk through its interior, sit on a brick-built seat and take photos alongside minifigure versions of characters inspired by the landmark.

Its clock faces and zodiac elements move, although more quickly than those on the real orloj so their rotation is easier to observe. The model also incorporates lighting and sound effects, but it does not display the correct time or send apostles rotating through its windows.

The allegorical statues surrounding the original clock—including the Miser and Death—have been reinterpreted as brightly colored minifigures. Astronomer Mikuláš of Kadaň, credited with creating the original mechanism in 1410, also appears within the structure.

Designers retained some of the real landmark’s irregularities, including the asymmetry created by a window beside the clock. A brick-built cross orb-weaver spider guards part of the mechanism inside.

Because the model had to be transported from Kladno to central Prague, engineers divided it into sections with connecting points and access panels. A crane was needed to move the heaviest components, while an internal frame supports the bricks, motors and electrical equipment.

The Na Příkopě store will include Lego’s complete retail range, including sets normally available only from official stores or the company’s website.

Visitors will be able to design customized characters at the Minifigure Factory and select individual elements from a Pick & Build wall, filling containers of different sizes rather than purchasing pieces individually.

The interior will also feature mosaics inspired by Alphonse Mucha and Prague’s skyline. Interactive attractions will be concentrated primarily on the ground floor, while the upper level will contain most of the retail space and larger display models.

“We don’t want it to be only a building-block store, but an interactive experience for children and adults,” Lego marketing director Iva Ambrožová told iDNES.cz.

The company plans to hold workshops tied to holidays and family events throughout the year. The first announced activity will take place Nov. 4 and 5, when visitors can construct a small Prague tram and take it home while supplies last.

The central store follows Lego’s first official Czech location, which opened at Westfield Chodov in 2022. Its local centerpiece is a brick-built St. Wenceslas on horseback with the National Museum behind him.

Before the opening, Lego is staging a citywide treasure hunt across the first three Saturdays in October.

Participating families must follow clues posted on social media to locate ambassadors carrying smaller brick models connected to the new store. The builds represent the astronomical clock, a Prague tram and Charles IV.

The ambassadors include Janek Rubeš and Honza Mikulka of Honest Guide, influencer Karel “Kovy” Kovář, and traveling couple Bára and Ondřej Havel.

Players must identify the correct location, find the participating ambassador and give them the password released with the clue. The first successful family during each round will receive an invitation to the opening ceremony.

The three winning families will assemble a golden Lego key outside the store and use it to symbolically unlock the doors.

The official treasure-hunt page contains participation details and links to the ambassadors’ clues.

Lego Store Praha Centrum will open at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 22, at Na Příkopě 25 in Prague 1. Photos and updates about the displays are available through the official store page.