Charles Bridge (Karlův most) is a historical medieval bridge in Prague, which is spanned by the Vltava River, decorated with statues of saints, has two high bridge towers with observation decks and, as they say, fulfills wishes.
Charles Bridge is a pedestrian bridge and is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Charles Bridge is a giant pride, one of the symbols and one of the the main sights of Prague, which every guest of the Czech capital is in a hurry to walk through.
Also, Charles Bridge is the oldest, most beautiful and undoubtedly romantic of all the bridges in Prague.
Charles Bridge was built on the site of the Judith Bridge, which was destroyed by a flood in 1342.
The stone or Prague Bridge, named Charles Bridge in 1870, was laid in 1357 by Emperor Charles IV, and completed in 1402. After its construction, it was the most powerful bridge of its time. Charles IV chose the date of laying the first stone of the Charles Bridge on the advice of court astrologers. The solemn ceremony on this occasion took place in 1357 on the 9th of the 7th month at 5:31 a.m. Thus, the moment of the foundation of the bridge is a palindrome - if you look at the date of the bookmark, it will be equally readable in both directions, both from left to right and from right to left.
The bridge is built of sandstone blocks, has 16 powerful arches of unequal range in its construction. Charles Bridge has a length of 515.76 meters and a width of 9.5 meters.
Today, the Charles Bridge, like a magnet, attracts thousands of tourists. That is why, especially during the high tourist season, the bridge is crowded - you walk on the bridge, and sometimes it is not possible to enjoy its charm, because apart from the heads, in front and behind, nothing is visible, not to mention taking beautiful photos. They say that in order to see all the beauty of the Charles Bridge, you need to come to it at night, or before eight o'clock in the morning.
View of the Charles Bridge from the side
On the bridge, street musicians entertain honest people, hoping, of course, for a good reward. Also on the bridge here you can find merchants of various souvenirs.
From 1683 to 1928, 30 statues of saints were installed on the pillars of the bridge, the most famous of which is the statue of St. Jan Nepomuksky.
Statues and sculptures that were later destroyed by floods or damaged by weather conditions and restored were replaced by copies of modern famous artists. The preserved originals of the statues are stored in The National Museum of Prague or Turtledove in Visegrad. Most of the statues are made of sandstone, while St. Philip Benitsky is made of marble, St. Krzyzh (Calvary) and Jan Nepomuk are made of bronze.
One of the most ancient (according to the original time of manufacture), which stands out against the background of other sculptures, and immediately catches the eye, is the bronze crucifixion "Golgotha" by Hilger, heterogeneous in style and origin. The modern bronze gilded cross was cast in 1629, and the two sculptures on either side of the cross, the Virgin and John, were carved out of sandstone, this is the work of Emanuel Max in 1861. The inscriptions on the sculpture and the marble pedestal were also built at different times.
The Charles Bridge crosses not only the Vltava River, but it is also spanned over the Kampa Island, which stretches between the Vltava River and the Chertovka Channel in Malaya Strana.
The devil's Hole is an artificially created canal, dug probably in the 12th century. The canal takes water from the Vltava and after 740 meters flows back into the river, thereby forming a small island.
The island of Kampa with the Devil is called "Little Prague Venice".
A monumental staircase, created in 1844 on the site of an old staircase from 1785, leads directly from Charles Bridge to the island of Kampa.
From the Charles Bridge there are picturesque views of the Vltava River, neighboring bridges, as well as the banks of the river with historical buildings. Pleasure boats float back and forth along the river every now and then.
You can take river walks along the Vltava River, thereby enjoying the views of the river itself, the islands of the river, bridges over the river, including the Charles Bridge, and its banks with historical buildings. More about the Vltava River with islands and embankments…
Charles Bridge is surrounded by numerous mysteries and legends. The most popular of which is the favorable energy of the bridge, fulfilling desires. There are several places on the Charles Bridge where you can make wishes - dogs, saints and crosses - you can easily find them all, they are polished to a shine.
We, who do not believe in all these miraculous places of fulfillment of desires (rub here, spit there, twist here), passed them by without paying attention. However, one place hooked us with something, it's even hard to say what, rather it was an inner voice. We stopped near it.
A small interesting sculpture - bas-relief at Nepomuki. According to legend, the Czech Catholic saint, priest and martyr Jan Nepomuksky was thrown from this place.
According to the "rules", you need to put your right hand on the cross, and rub the Nepomuk and the stars above his head twice with the fingers of your left hand, while putting your left foot on the nail that is at the bottom on the paving stones. In this position, make a wish. Naturally, we didn't do that, we just came up and rubbed Nepomuk making wishes... my wish is long-term, so I can't say what, but the whole trick is that literally a few days after the wish made on the Charles Bridge, it began to come true and the effect lasts until now.
You should not be zealous with desires, because there is another legend according to which you can make a wish only once a year.
Charles Bridge connects the two shores of Prague - two sides, two main historical and tourist areas. These are the Old Town (Staré Město) and the Small Town (Malá Strana).
On both sides of the bridge are decorated with high bridge towers, the main purpose of which is not beauty at all - they serve as bridge fortifications.
Two towers bearing the name Malostranskie Bridge Towers (Malostranska mostecka věž) flaunt from the side of the Small Country. One of the towers is lower and more powerful, and the second is higher and built at a later time. Later, a gate was built between the towers, which can still be partially seen today - an arched passage between the towers.
At the top of the high tower there is an observation deck that anyone can visit. The ascent to the observation deck is paid. More about Lesser Town bridge towers…
On the other side of the bridge (Crusaders Square in the Old Town) is Old Town Bridge Tower (Staroměstska mostecka věž).
On the top floor of the tower there is an observation deck, where you can climb for a fee and enjoy the views of the Charles Bridge, the Vltava River and both banks of the Old Town.
On the Old Town Tower, from the side of the old town, you can see three-dimensional sculptures, one of which depicts St. Vitus, the patron saint of the bridge. More about the Old Town Bridge Tower…
On Crusaders' Square (Křižovnicke naměstí), in several halls of the original Krizovnik Hospital and St. Spirit, which were converted into a monastery of the Order of the Crusaders with a Red Star (Klášter křižovníků), now houses the Charles Bridge Museum (Muzeum Karlova mostu).
The museum is dedicated to the Charles Bridge, as well as its predecessor, the Judith Bridge, and the Order of the Crusaders with the Red Star, who guarded the bridge and collected tolls for passage along it. More about the Charles Bridge Museum…
In addition to the bridge towers, you can admire good panoramic views of the Charles Bridge, the Vltava River and the adjacent ensemble from the observation decks in Letenskie Gardens (Letenske Sady) - free of charge, and from the observation deck in The Petrshinskaya Tower (Petřínska rozhledna), which is on the Ptershin Hill, is paid. Learn more about observation decks and observation points in Prague...
Charles Bridge, together with the towers, is part of the Royal Way (Královská cesta) - the name of the historical route in Prague, along which future Czech kings passed to the coronation, and today this way is a popular tourist route in Prague.
The tradition of the Royal Way was established by Emperor Charles IV.
The route passes through the central historical part of Prague and leads from Republic square (Namesti Republiky) in Prague Castle (Pražský hrad). More about the Royal Way…
To see and walk along the Charles Bridge is definitely worth it. This place is beautiful in itself, and the views from the bridge are simply fascinating. We advise even skeptics to make a wish on the bridge - what the universe is not joking about, what if!
Coordinates of the Charles Bridge: 50°05'11.0"N 14°24'43.0"E (50.086389, 14.411944).
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