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.
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.
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