World famous landmarks such as Paris’ Eiffel tower or Sydney’s Opera House has become as much
Charles Bridge in the city of Prague has become a national symbol for the Czech Republic. The bridge itself is a stone Gothic structure built in the thirteenth century. It is not just one of the best tourist attractions in the city, but the bridge has also functioned as a very important link between Prague’s old town square and Mala Strana.
If you walk further across Charles Bridge onto Mala Strana, you will be lead to the Prague Castle itself. Two towers stand on both ends of the bridge: the Old Town Bridge Tower on one side and the Lesser Town Bridge tower on the other side.
Charles Bridge’s Colorful History
King Charles IV had the bridge built by architect Peter Parler in 1937. From the sixteenth to the eighteenth century, 30 Baroque statues decorated the bridge. Since then, a lot of them did not survive floods and the war. The statues are being replaced and replicated as needed.
Today, 75 statues line up the bridge, which add to the bridge’s quaint old charm. Perhaps the most interesting – and oldest - piece among these statues is the monument of John Nepomuk. He is a Czech patron saint who was executed under King Wenceslas IV’s rule. Millions of hands have polished the statue’s body, as it is said to bring good luck to the person who touches it.
‘A Bridge Which Connects People’
Just like all the other ancient structures in the city, Charles Bridge has been a witness to all the historic events in Prague, from the Medieval to the present times.
During the day, artists, tourists, musicians, painters and vendors line up the stone walkways of the bridge. Honeymooners and tourists alike would enjoy a moonlit stroll on the bridge with the view of the magnificent Prague castle in the background.
There is nothing more that local and foreign travelers would enjoy more than a stroll in the historic Gothic stone bridge in Prague, the golden city of the Czech Republic.
