An Ode to Charles IV on the Vltava; Charles Bridge

Bridges are iconic structures. They are intended to bridge by all meanings of the word; physically bridge two banks of a geographical barrier, socially bridge two neighboring communities, emotionally bridge people and visually bridge an otherwise break in human settlement continuity. They have always been among the most popular public works throughout history by rulers of various populations, as they carry so much significance and add such value. In a way, they are so iconic that they manage to become the symbol of their hometowns, much like Tower Bridge in London, Golden Gate in San Francisco or Brooklyn Bridge in New York City has. And as symbolic bridges go, it would be a shame to not mention one particular example in mystic Prague: Charles Bridge.

Called the Karluv Most in Czech - after the famous king of Bohemia, Charles IV - Charles Bridge is only one of 18 or so bridges crossing the river Vltava in Prague along its 31 kilometer long journey through the city. Vltava is the longest river in Czech Republic, and it flows for several hundred kilometers within the country before it joins the river Elbe.


Charles IV (or Karel IV in Czech), born Wenceslaus in 1316 as the fourth son to King John of Bohemia, inherited the Kingdom of Bohemia and the Country of Luxembourg from his father when John died at the Battle of Crecy (a significant battle fought during the Hundred Years' War) in 1346. He was also the first Bohemian king to assume the title of Holy Roman Emperor, elected by prince-electors in opposition to Emperor Louis IV of France as the King of Romans. He later became the King of Italy in 1355, and shortly thereafter he was crowned the Holy Roman Emperor during the same year. He died peacefully in 1378, at the age of sixty-two.

One of Charles' achievements during his reign, among many others, was the commissioning of a bridge over the Vltava river that divided the city into two parts; namely the Castle and the Old Town. There had already been a bridge connecting the two banks, Judith Bridge, which had been built between 1158 and 1172, but this had been damaged by a flooding during 1342, necessitating an immediate replacement. Construction of the new bridge started in 1357 during the reign of Charles IV, although its opening to public was much later, towards the beginning of 15th century. The new bridge was originally called the Stone Bridge, but it was renamed with its current title in 1870 to conmemorate the emperor. Charles Bridge was the only crossing on the river until 1841, and hence helped maintain the connection between the two banks and facilitated the flourishing of commerce and trade in the city.



Made of stone and spanning for 621 meters and 10 meters wide, the bridge is composed of 16 arches and protected by three bridge towers - two of them on the Castle bank (or Lesser Quarter bank as commonly known), and the other one on the Old Town bank. This single tower, built in the Gothic style, is an architectural marvel on its own. The bridge itself is an architectural gem, being adorned by a total of thirty statues mostly in Baroque style. An interesting fact to note here, however, is that the original Gothic decorations on the bridge were intact until the end of Thirty Years' War in 1648. As Swedish occupation forces in the Lesser Quarter of Prague tried to advance towards the Old Town via the bridge, heavy fighting occurred on the bridge and almost destroyed one side of the Old Town bridge tower, forcing the Czech to remove Gothic decorations on the tower. They followed with the Baroque tradition when restoring the face fo the tower, and hence they felt compelled to replace the decorations on the bridge itself with Baroque statues.

The original sculptures on the bridge were mostly erected between 1683 and 1714, each depicting a saint, sculpted by prominent Czech artists of the period. However, after 1965 - as part of a major repair program (more on that later) - all statues have been systematically replaced by replicas. The original sculptures were transferred to the National Museum for storage. Some of the more famous sculptures on the bridge include that of St Luthgard on the south side, and those of the Crucifix and Calgary, of Saints Norbert of Xanten, Wenceslas and Sigismund, and of St John of Nepomuk on the north side.

Apart from major wars and occupations, like the Swedish occupation, several other disasters struck the bridge throughout its history, including a flood in 1432 that damaged three pillars, another flood in 1784 that took five pillars, and again in 1890 yet one more flood that claimed five more pillars of the bridge. During this last flood, two statues - St Ignatius of Loyola and St Xavier - also were lost to the river. In 1848, a revolt damaged some statues on the bridge.

Much more recently, between 1965 and 1978, all pillars were stabilized, broken and chipped stone blocks were replaced, asphalt top was removed and all vehicle traffic was banned from the bridge as part of a major repair program to extend the bridge's life. This program also included replacement of the statues with replicas, as mentioned before.

Burj Khalifa: So Far So Tall

Human nature is rather predictable in one sense: When given the chance, it aspires for bigger, higher, and more importantly, better. This observation holds true for science, and it does so for art - two seemingly distinct but rather interlinked concepts. Then it is no wonder that the same can be said for architecture, which is a perfectly balanced combination of science and art. It comes as no surprise that as civilization has progressed, as have achievements in architecture, and they all have aimed to produce the most memorable work. A piece of artwork that will awe people whenever they glance upon it, and a scientific miracle that will make jaws drop - that has been a goal for so long. And that goal has - for the time being - achieved in the form of an elegant building that soars above the clouds. The result is Burj Khalifa (or Khalifa Tower), the new landmark of Dubai.

Burj Khalifa, originally known as Burj Dubai during its construction, is the tallest man-made structure in the world, standing a whopping 829.8 meters in Dubai (one of seven emirates making up UAE and arguably the most famous of them thanks to prominent construction projects and the Emirates airline). This height makes the building a megatall - above 600 meters - as opposed to supertall, which is a title reserved for buildings above 300 meters in height. Although part of a much larger mixed-use project aimed at generating interest in Dubai, the sheer size of the building ensures that it stays the centerpiece of the development. This rather lavish vanity project was initiated to create a diversification from oil-based economies of the Gulf countries and to expand tourism and services in Dubai.

The construction of the tower - carried out by Samsung Engineering & Construction of South Korea - took a little over five years, from ground breaking in September 2004 to its official opening in January 2010. Designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill of Chicago, colloquially known as SOM, the building shares its chief architect - one Adrian Smith - with other famous buildings including Jin Mao tower in Shanghai and Trump International Hotel and Tower in Chicago, both supertalls.

The design firm SOM itself is no stranger to skyscrapers, as its 78 year history is dotted with testaments to mankind's fascination with heights, such as Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower) and the One World Trade Center (that has been built after the destruction of the WTC towers in 2001 attacks). Formed in 1936 by Louis Skidmore and Nathaniel Owings and soon joined by John Merrill, SOM has been a prominent architectural firm that has specialized in skyscrapers built in the international style, recognized from their rather boxy shapes ad liberal use of glass facades. Having emerged in the 20s and 30s, international style relies on rectilinear forms, taut plane surfaces sans ornamentation, open and airy interiors and the use of cantilevered construction. However, Burj Khalifa is not without its local inspirations; Islamic architecture, and in particular the spiral minaret that gets slender as it rises above the ground, has influenced the architects when designing an icon that would feel home at Dubai. In total, there are 27 setbacks that make the tower slimmer as it rises, with the building cross section significantly smaller on the upper floors.

Building upon the accomplishments of earlier structures, Burj Khalifa has both mastered and perfected international style at once, and while doing so, it also broke several other records in addition to the tallest building title. Burj Khalifa currently is the structure with the most floors (163 floors) and the highest occupied floor at 584.5 meters. It also features the world's highest nightclub (on floor 144) and restaurant (on floor 122).

All these numbers attest to a marvel designed by SOM and built by Samsung, although the vanity behind the unfathomable numbers belongs to the Dubai Emir. In fact, the top 244 meters of the tower are nothing but so called "vanity space", without which the building would lose no usable floor space. The spire itself weighs over 4000 tonnes, and a total of 142000 square meters of cladding was used to clad the building and shield it against the harsh Dubai climate. 

The vanity does not end there, of course, as more than 1000 pieces of art have been used to decorate the interiors of the building. This of course, comes as no surprise, as the building is a challenge to both the world and to the laws of physics, and a symbol ofDubai's rise as a house of global economy. For Dubai, this piece of architecture is not a pinnacle, but just the beginning.

The Mysterious Palace - Forbidden City

A building is not always just a physical entity. In some rarer cases, it is a spiritual being, surviving centuries of mayhem and chaos and living to see many inhabitants come and go, eventually to be remembered and uttered even more often than those inhabitants ever will be. Such buildings usually turn out to be seats of administration, buildings from where executive power in one form or another - be it God's power, emperor's power or the power of the people - radiates from. And what better example of that than the Forbidden Palace of China, which has ruled the world's most populous - and by some accounts at times most powerful - country for more than five centuries?

Built by the Ming Dynasty, the rulers of China from 1368 through to 1644 (although some elements loyal to the Ming Dynasty survived in southern China until 1662) after the Mongol Yuan Dynasty collapsed, the Forbidden Palace was later used by the Qing Dynasty that replaced the Ming until the last emperor, Puyi, was abdicated in 1912 by the newly formed Republic of China. Puyi in fact remained in a form of house arrest in the Forbidden City until his exile following a coup in 1924.

Located in central Beijing, the still functioning capital of People's Republic of China, the Forbidden Palace was built by the Ming between 1406 and 1420 over the course of 14 years. Covering an area of seventy-two hectares, it is a vast complex with priceless examples of Chinese Imperial Architecture. Before elaborating further on that aspect, a brief history of the palace is warranted.

The original site of the Forbidden City was within the then imperial complex of the Yuan Dynasty, only to be burned down after the establishment of the Ming Dynasty by the first emperor - who indeed moved the imperial capital to Nanjing. His son reversed this decision, moving the capital back to Beijing and in the process recomissioning a palace that would later become the Forbidden City.

Built by over a million workers by some accounts, the building complex was decorated with expansive and rare raw material from around the empire to demonstrate the power of the new ruling dynasty. As such, the palace stayed the seat of government and political center of China until rebels under the leadership of Li Zicheng laid siege to, and then captured the palace. He declared himself the new emperor, although his brief rule was ended when a coalition of a former Ming general and Manchu forces of northern China forced him to flee the palace.The joint victory of Ming and Manchu resulted in the formation of a new dynasty, the Qing, who chose to downplay power and underline the importance of harmony - possibly due to the bi-racial structure of the now ruling powers. This was evident in the introduction of newer names for buildings incorporating the word harmony within the palace, as well as bilingual signage.

The Qing ruled from the Forbidden City until - as noted before - Puyi was dismissed of his imperial throne in 1912. Puyi's rise to the throne and his fall, along with his subsequent years in semi-captivity in the Forbidden Palace, his imprisonment and rehabilitation, was the subject of a movie titled The Last Emperor, directed by Bernardo Bertolucci in 1987. This movie, which later went on to win nine Academy Awards (or Oscars), was the first movie that was shot within the confines of the Forbidden Palace by special permission of the Chinese government.

The name Forbidden Palace is not a name invented by Western powers; in fact, the Chinese name for the complex, Zijin Cheng, literally translates to purple forbidden city in English. Purple (zi) is a reference to North Star, which was assumed to be the seat of the celestial emperor; since the terrestrial emperor was the earth counterpart of the celestial emperor. Jin, or forbidden, meant that noone would enter or leave the complex without imperial permission.

The symbology surrounding the palace complex wasn't just in its name; it was evident throughout the architecture of the structure. One such feature is the usage of yellow roof tiles, which was reserved for imperial buildings only as this was the color of the emperor. The architects refrained from this in a few select buildings however, due to other symbological reasons: the library at the Pavillion of Literary Profundity had black tiles associated with water and thus fire protection, Temple of Heaven was adorned with blue tiles symbolizing the sky, and crown prince's residence had green tiles to signify wood and thus growth.

The Chinese dragon - a symbol of the Ming emperors - was used to decorate beams, doors and pillars, but not roofs. Buildings used by the imperial family were allowed to have nine column spacings, and gates used by the emperor were built with five arches, with the middle arch reserved for the emperor alone. The entire complex is said to host 9999 rooms - just short of the number of rooms in heaven. Main halls in both the inner and outer courts of the palace are grouped in threes, symbolizing heaven, whereas residences in the inner court are grouped in sixes, alluding to the Earth.

The buildings were built facing south to protect from harsh northerly winds, but the significance of east in siting of buildings relates to a worship of the Sun and its affiliation with the ruling emperor. Roofs were decorated with a series of statues with a man riding a phoenix in the lead and a dragon at the back, with the number of statues were not allowed to exceed 9 except for the roof of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, which has 10 statues.

The Forbidden City was not only a cast complex of impeccable Chinese Imperial Architecture, but also a breathtaking collection of artwork accumulated over the centuries. These were later put on display in the Palace Museum, established in 1925 after the demise of the Qing Dynasty, only to be evacuated during the Japanese invasion of China in 1933. After the war, part of the artwork forming the museum's collection was moved to the National Palace Museum in Taipei in 1948, where it formed the basis of the collection of that museum.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987, the Forbidden Palace is now known as Gugong ("Former Palace") in Chinese. The museum is open to visitors from around the world, who come here to marvel at the elegance of the heritage left behind by one of the most powerful empires ever. The Forbidden Palace stands as a testament to the rise and fall of nations, and reminds us that it is the legacy, not the people, that is remembered after we are gone.

TWA Flight Center - Spreading the Wings of Aviation

The TWA Flight Center, nowadays known as Terminal 5, is undoubtedly the building with the most character among the multitude of terminals that make up what we call John Fitzgerald Kennedy (JFK) International Airport in New York City. Just one look at the iconic building will suffice to know why that is the case: The bird-shaped building is a fresh welcome amongst a number of boxy and tiresome terminal designs at the airport, although by no means it is a recent addition to the terminal line up.

Opened in 1962, the TWA Flight Center is in fact one of the oldest structures to be still standing at JFK Airport. In fact, with the demolition of Pan Am Worldport in 2013, another icon that had stood its ground since its commissioning in 1960, TWA Flight Center has become the oldest still functioning terminal building within the airport complex. Although the entire structure as it was built could not be maintained due to alterations and newer construction since, the main terminal building (or head house as it was called originally) has been kept, and currently forms part of the Terminal 5 complex operated by JetBlue Airways. The current complex known as Terminal 5 was the result of an extensive makeover to the original terminal, as well as the addition of a large pier to accommodate traffic in 2008, after which JetBlue Airways moved in to the complex. The airline, the largest carrier at the airport as of 2013, has since called this building its home.

The history of the TWA Flight Center dates back to 1955, when Finnish architect Eero Saarinen's firm was selected for the design of a new home for TWA at the New York International - Idlewild Airport - as it was known before it was renamed after JFK - in New York. At the time, TWA was one of the Big Four domestic airlines along with American, United and Eastern, and along with Pan Am, one of the largest airlines in the nation. As such, it was in need of a terminal that would serve as a trans-Atlantic gateway for the sprawling international operations. Eero Saarinen and Associates, Saarinen's firm, was bent on giving the airline what it needed, and in style too.

Saarinen, himself the son of an architect, was an advocate of liberal use of arches, curves and clean lines and applied these concepts to his work often. The TWA Flight Center is representative of these concepts; a white-washed building with few sharp corners, an abundance of soft curves along with tube-shaped corridors and significant use of large windows to make use of sunlight and give unobstructed views to the apron. Saarinen's other works also follow this idea, as can be seen at the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, also known as the Gateway Arch (completed after Saarinen's death by his partners Roche and Dinkeloo), and at the main terminal building of Dulles International Airport in Washington D.C. Still, the TWA Flight Center stands out as the single most inspiring work of architecture by the architect. It was also the first airport with enclosed passenger jetways, central PAS (public address system), baggage carousels and electronic schedule board. With the shape of a bird spreading its wings, the building is a remarkable sample of the form meeting function in airport design, even winning its designer the AIA Gold Medal after his death.

However, as with most designs, the TWA Flight Center lost part of its functionality in time, due to changes in the aviation industry. Tighter security checks, bigger aircraft, busier airline traffic and more passengers resulted in less-than-ideal utilization of the terminal in time. Still, TWA stayed in the building until its demise much later.

The building was declared a historic landmark by the City of New York in 1994, and in 2005 it was added to the National Register of Historic Places, although by then it had fallen into disuse; TWA had abandoned the terminal after it was acquired by American Airlines in 2001 following its third and final bankruptcy. Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the owner of major ports and airports within the NY / NJ area, initially proposed converting the building into a conference center, although this idea was subsequently abandoned due to objections regarding the architectural integrity of the final outcome. The building stayed empty until 2008, when a Gensler-designed pier was integrated with it to become the new home of JetBlue Airways. Opening to public on October 22nd, the terminal has since hosted millions of passengers traveling to many places on the North American continent.

It is very rare that, a building manages to keep both its form and its usefullness throughout the ages. The Saarinen designed TWA Flight Center is a remarkable building that is not only as breathtaking as the day it was commissioned, but also still able to stand up among uninspiring terminals in providing many faces a gateway to the rest of the world.