Charles Bridge

Charles Bridge (Czech: Karl?v most {{Audio|Cs-Karluv most.ogg|listen}}) is a famous historical bridge crossing the Vltava river in Prague, Czech Republic. Its construction started in 1357 under the auspices of King Charles IV, and finished in 1400. As the only means of crossing the river in Prague, Charles Bridge used to be the most important connection between the Old Town, Prague Castle and adjacent areas till 1841. Also this 'solid-land' connection made Prague important as a trade route between east and west Europe. The bridge was originally called the Stone Bridge (Kamenný most) or the Prague Bridge (Pra?ský most) but has been the "Charles Bridge" since 1870.

Statues on the bridge

The alley of 30 mostly baroque statues and statuaries situated on the balustrade forms a unique connection of artistic styles with the underlying gothic bridge. Most sculptures were erected between 1683 and 1714. They depict various saints and patron saints worshiped at that time. The most prominent Bohemian sculptors of the time took part on decorating the bridge, such as: Matthias Braun, Jan Brokoff and his sons Michael Joseph and Ferdinand Maxmilian.

Related Topics:
1683 - 1714 - Saint - Patron saint - Matthias Braun - Jan Brokoff - Michael Joseph - Ferdinand Maxmilian

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Among the most notable sculptures, one can find the statuaries of St. Luthgard, St. Crucifix or St. John of Nepomuk. Well known is also the statue of knight Bruncvík, although it does not belong to the main alley.

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Starting from 1965, all of the statues have been systematically replaced by replicas and the originals have been exhibited in the lapidarium of the National Museum.

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See also: List of statues on Charles Bridge for descriptions of the particular sculptures.

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