The bridge over the Vltava River is located in the historical center of Prague and connects the Old Town and the Lesser Town – the medieval districts of the Czech capital. The powerful half-kilometer structure with heavy arches and bronze statues of Catholic saints is always full of tourists. Here you can think about the desire to buy souvenirs from local artists, enjoy the views of the river and the coastal districts from the observation platforms of the towers located on the bridge. Charles Bridge (Czech: Karlův most) is one of the main attractions of Prague and every tourist should visit it.
The length of Charles Bridge is 515.76 meters, the width is 9.4-9.5 meters, the height is 13 meters, the height of the supports is 14 meters.
On the site of Charles Bridge there used to be Judith Bridge, which was destroyed by a flood in 1342. (Currently, on Charles Bridge there is a bas-relief of a bearded man who built Judith Bridge). In 1357, construction of a new bridge began. Master Otto was its first architect. It is not known exactly in what year the construction was completed, but it is known that in 1378 the funeral procession with the remains of Charles IV passed over this bridge. In 1890, another catastrophic flood damaged the bridge, which required a large-scale reconstruction. The last complete reconstruction was carried out in 2007.
In ancient times, numbers were given the greatest importance. Therefore, before building the bridge, Charles IV consulted astrologers and, on their recommendation, laid the first stone himself on July 9, 1357 at 5:31 am. If you arrange the numbers in the following order: year, day, month and time, you get 135795531 - a number that is read the same from left to right and from right to left, that is, it is a palindrome. According to legend, the right date was the reason why the bridge stood for so long.
The bridge towers are named according to their location: one is the Old Town Bridge Tower, two are the Lesser Town Towers. The Old Town Tower is located on the right bank of the Vltava River and was built together with the bridge in the 14th century. It is 47 meters high. This austere and, one might say, gloomy tower is decorated with coats of arms and other symbols of the Holy Roman Empire, as well as images of St. Vita, King Charles IV, King Wenceslas IV, St. Vojtek and St. Sigismund (patron saints of the Czech Republic).
The western towers were built at different times: the taller one in 1464, the shorter one in 1591.
Charles Bridge is famous for its sculptures. Most of them are images of saints, the construction of which began only in 1683. The first statue was the crucifix.
Above are four letters INRI (Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews) and an inscription in Aramaic: "Holy, Holy, Holy, God, our Savior."
A total of 30 statues + 1 bas-relief of the bearded man who built the Judith Bridge + the knight Brunswick (I will tell you about him below). I will list a few more statues. Here is a statue of St. John of Nepomuk. Jan Nepomuk was a priest, and Queen Sophia, the wife of King Wenceslas IV, confessed to him. The jealous king demanded that Jan Nepomuk tell him the secret of confession, but the priest did not comply. He was then tortured and thrown off the bridge into the river. According to legend, at this time 5 stars lit up, which all the people on the bridge saw, but no one understood their meaning. Later, the Pope explained that this symbolism represented the martyrdom of John of Nepomuk, and the five stars - the word "tacei", which means silence - because the priest did not reveal the secret of confession.
Tourists touch the relief on the pedestal with their hands and make a wish. They say that the right hand should be placed on the stars, and the left on the saint's feet or a copper cross:
Here are Saints John and John pointing to the shackles of Christians captured by the Turks. The prisoners are guarded by a Turk with a sword on his belt. They say that when it gets dark, the Turk comes down from the pedestal and checks if all the statues are in place:
Here is a statue of John the Baptist:
Here is a statue of St. Lutgard (Svatava Česká). A blind nun kisses the wounds of Jesus on the cross in her sleep:
The next statue depicts the Virgin Mary and Mary Magdalene worshiping the dead Jesus, taken down from the cross. Behind them stands John the Evangelist:
For some reason, many forget the knight Brunswick, standing alone by the bridge, on the shore. In his hand he holds a sword, at his feet a shield, and behind him is a lion, which he saved from the dragon. The knight marks the border between the two oldest parts of Prague with his sword, which is why he stands here, and not on the bridge. On the shield is the coat of arms of Prague, which it protects.
From the bridge, you can go down the neo-Gothic stairs to Kampa Island, which is called the "Venice of Prague".
How to get to Charles Bridge:
There are three tram stops in the immediate vicinity:
- right bank: Karlovy lázně - tram №2, 17, 18, 93; Staroměstská - tram №2, 17, 18.
- left bank: Malostranské náměstí - tram №1, 12, 15, 20, 22, 25, 97.
You can also use the metro line A - to the stop Staroměstská or Malostranská.
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