Prague - Charles Bridge

The famous Charles Bridge, which connects Old Town with Lesser Quarter (or Mala Strana) and Prague Castle, is the oldest bridge in Prague, Czech Republic.  Built between the 14 ^th and 15 ^th century, it crosses the Vltava River and is lined on both sides with a total of 30 baroque statues, mostly from the 18^th century, standing on parapets.

Originally known as the Prague Bridge, it was renamed after Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV, who laid the foundation stone at a very unique, and calculated, time – 135797531 (in 1357 on the 9^th day of the 7^th month at 5:31 a.m.). It is 520 m long and 10 m wide and boasts 16 arches. The bridge is fortified at both ends by three towers, two of them on the Lesser Quarter side and the third one on the Old Town side. 

 In charge of the construction was architect Petr Parléř whose other works include the St. Vitus Cathedral at the Prague Castle. It is said that egg yolks were mixed into the mortar to strengthen the construction of the bridge, although this has not been proven.

The original wooden bridge was destroyed by floods in the 11^th century and in 1172, Wenceslas I built the stone Judith Bridge named for his wife, but it was destroyed in the 1342 flood. The bridge was damaged by several other floods over the centuries, including ones in 1784, 1890, and 2002.

Most of the statues were damaged by floods over the centuries and replaced by replicas. The originals can be seen in the Lapidary of the National Museum.

One of the most famous statues is of St. John Nepomuk whose tomb is in St. Vitus Cathedral.  It is the oldest statue on the bridge dating from 1683.  The shiny gold part you see in the photo link is where people rub it thinking it will bring good luck.

St. John of Nepomuk was a parson, who refused to betray a secret, confided to him by Queen Sophia, to the king Wenceslas IV. He was tortured on the king´s demand and then thrown to the river Vltava from the Charles Bridge in 1393. 

The five stars allegedly appeared above the river after the martyr was thrown there. They are supposed to symbolize the five letters of the Latin word “tacet”, which means “silent”. There is a brass cross with five stars at the place on the parapet where he was thrown into the river.

Statues on the left hand of the bridge from the Old Town bridge tower:

1. St. Ivo
2. St. Barbara, St. Margaret and St. Elizabeth
3. Pieta
4. St. Joseph
5. St. Francis Xaverius
6. St. Christopher
7. St. Francis Borgias
8. St. Ludmila
9. St. Francis Seraphic
10. St. Vincent of Ferrara and St. Procope
11. St. Nicolas of Tolentino
12. St. Luitgarda
13. St. Adalbert
14. Statuary of St. John of Matha, St. Felix of Valois and St. Ivan
15. St. Wenceslas

Statues on the right hand of the bridge from the Old Town bridge tower:

1. St. Bernard
2. St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Dominique
3. Statuary of St. Cross - Calvary
4. St. Anna
5. St. Cyril and St. Method
6. St. John the Baptist
7. Sts. Norbert, Wenceslas and Sigismond
8. St. John of Nepomuk
9. St. Anthony of Padua
10. St. Judas Thaddeus
11. St. Augustine
12. St. Cajetan
13. St. Philip Benicius
14. St. Vitus
15. St. Kosma and St. Damian

Kampa Island is located under the Charles Bridge and was at one time a renowned potters' market.  The staircase leading to Kampa Island underneath the bridge is from 1844.

During the day, the pedestrian only bridge is occupied by many artists and musicians.  Charles Bridge Museum, opened in June 2007 to celebrate 650th anniversary of the bridge's construction, is located next to the foot of the bridge from the Old Town side.

A great time of day to come to the bridge is at sunset when you can enjoy a breathtaking view of the fully lit Prague Castle against the evening sky.

The bridge made a Hollywood appearance in the movie Mission: Impossible.

This short documentary video (3:29) sums it up pretty well.  And take a walking tour with Karl in this video (6:12) on the Charles Bridge.