Founded by the Jesuits in the mid-18th century and situated within the Clementinum complex, the Prague Observatory played a significant role in astronomy in the Czech lands for around two hundred years. In this article, we analyse the work of the community that formed around this observatory in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Specifically, we examine how this work reflects both some of the astronomical practices that were common at the time and new trends, as well as the observatory's own position within such a context. As we show, whilst this was a period characterised by a degree of continuity, there were also significant changes – or attempts at change – particularly during the directorship of Alois David, who was in charge of the Prague Observatory at the turn of the 19th century.
