Charles Bridge

Charles Bridge is a historic bridge in Prague, Czech Republic. Its construction started in 1357 and finished in the beginning of the 15th century. It replaced the old one which had been badly damaged by a flood. This new bridge was originally called either Stone Bridge or Prague Bridge, but has been “Charles Bridge” since 1870. As the only means of crossing the Moldau river until 1841, Charles Bridge was the most important connection between Prague Castle and the city’s Old Town and it made Prague an important trade route between Eastern and Western Europe.

The bridge was built as a bow bridge with sixteen arches and three bridge towers, one of which, the Old Town Bridge Tower, is often considered to be one of the most astonishing civil gothic-style buildings in the world. The bridge is decorated by a continuous alley of 30 mostly baroque statues depicting various saints and patron saints. They were originally erected between 1683 and 1714, but since 1965 all of the originals (now in the National Museum) have since been replaced by replicas.