It is one of the oldest stone bridges in Europe: the Charles Bridge over the Vltava. Bordered by two towers, it is only open to pedestrians and is very busy almost around the clock. A must for every visitor to Prague, if only because the view over the river and the castle from here is simply fantastic.
The Charles Bridge (Karluv most) connects the Malá Strana and Staré Mesto districts, i.e. the Old Town and the Lesser Town, via 16 arches. Today, only pedestrians stroll across the bridge, but this was not always the case: from 1883 it was open to the horse-drawn streetcar and at the beginning of the 20th century also to the electric streetcar.
The figures of the saints
The foundation stone was laid on an optimal date calculated by astrologers: July 9, 1357 at 05:31. Incidentally, the bridge was modeled on the Stone Bridge in Regensburg. Until around 1870, the bridge was still called the Prague Bridge.
Numerous statues of saints line both sides of the bridge, such as St. Christopher, St. Joseph and St. John the Baptist. The most famous, however, is that of St. Jan Nepomuk, who is said to have been thrown into the Vltava at this point. The bridge is something of an open-air museum, even though many of the original figures are no longer on display.
Picture from the middle of Charles Bridge in Prague © praguetouristinformation.com
The bridge is a hive of activity during the day: Musicians play songs and numerous traders sell souvenirs and art, groups stop to pose for photos against the backdrop of the castle.
The towers
At the eastern end is the Old Town Bridge Tower with the slightly larger than real-life figures of Emperor Charles IV and his son Wenceslas IV. The figures were only added later in the 1380s. Incidentally, you can climb up the tower, from up there you have a great view over the bridge and the river.
There is also a tower on the opposite side of the Lesser Town, which dates back to the city's former fortifications.
