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Charles Bridge

The bridge was named after Emperor Charles IV, designed by Petr Parler and completed in the year 1400. Charles Bridge is best enjoyed early in the morning when tourist crowds are still sleeping, or by lamplight after they have returned to their hotels for dinner. During the day stalls and street musicians line the bridge and you can even have your picture drawn by a caricaturist. It is worth climbing Old Town Bridge Tower for a splendid view of Prague’s domes and spires and the wayward line of Charles Bridge. The tower is just beside Charles Bridge.

There are 30 statues on the bridge – many of them have been replaced with copies. Perhaps the most excellent statue is by Matthias Braun (1710), which shows St. Luitgard kissing Christ’s wounds in a vision. The originals are kept in the Lapidarium (National Museum) and at the Vyšehrad. The magnificent Gothic Old Town Bridge Tower was also designed by Petr Parler and built at the end of the 14th century. It is considered the finest Gothic tower in central Europe, mainly for its decoration.

Other names: Karlův most; Karlsbrücke; Pont Charles; Ponte di Carlo; Puente de Carlos; Kaarlen Silta; Podul Carol

The Most Beautiful Panoramic View of Prague is from Old Town Bridge Tower

December 26, 2017 Old Town Bridge Tower 0

No city in the world has such a breathtaking panoramic view as Prague. The nicest view of Lesser Town of Prague or Prague castle with Strahov and Petřín is from the viewing tower of Old Town Bridge Tower. But not in full light, when everything is overexposed, but at dusk. …

Charles Bridge

November 23, 2015 Attractions/What to See, Charles Bridge 4

The 13th century Charles Bridge is usually packed with tourists and Czechs alike, especially during the spring and summer months. Charles Bridge surely ranks as the most important tourist attractions in the city and should be the first item on your list of sights to see. Early morning is the …

Charles Bridge Statues

November 25, 2015 Charles Bridge 0

The alley of 30 mostly Baroque statues and statuaries situated on the balustrade forms a unique collection of artistic styles with the underlying gothic bridge. Most sculptures were erected between 1683 and 1714. They depict various saints and patron saints worshipped at that time. The most prominent Bohemian sculptors of …

Old Town Bridge Tower

November 25, 2015 Old Town Bridge Tower 0

Heralding the entrance to the Charles Bridge, and guarding any approach from either side is the blackened and aged looking Bridge Tower. The smaller tower, a Romanesque structure, dates back to the 12th century, while its current Renaissance shape is from 1591. The higher tower is from 1464 and its …

Charles Bridge History and Building

November 25, 2015 Charles Bridge 0

The need for building a new bridge emerged after the old Romanesque Judith Bridge (Juditin most, built around 1170 and named after king Vladislav I’s wife Judith) was torn down by a flood in 1342. By a rare coincidence, we know the precise moment of laying the foundation stone of …