Since the river Vltava flows through Prague, we also have many bridges across the river. Thousands of people walk across these bridges daily, who often do not know their history, even though it is very interesting.
Today, most people connect Prague with the Charles Bridge, which was built in 1357 by Charles IV.
Charles Bridge, formerly called the Stone Bridge, was historically part of the trade route. It connects the Lesser Town and the Old Town. Charles Bridge is over 500 meters long and consists of 16 powerful stanchions. Since it is the forerunner of the Judith Bridge, Prague took very good care of its construction. The bridge is complemented by beautiful towers, which you could see on our Instagram feed. Lesser Town Bridge Towers are on the Lesser Town and the Old Town Bridge Tower is added to the Old Town. Since the end of the 17th century, about 30 statues and sculptures have been placed on the bridge, mostly in the Baroque style. Probably the most famous of these sculptures is the statue of St. John of Nepomuk, who was overthrown from the bridge into the water. Unfortunately, during the 19th and 20th centuries, most of the sculptures began to be replaced with new replicas, made from more durable material.
As for the construction of the bridge, the construction was very complex. As I wrote, Charles Bridge had to literally "defeat" Judith, both in the aesthetic question and in its stability, construction. Charles Bridge was built to be taller, had more arches and stanchions had to be built deeper, just for stability. The whole process was very expensive, and the bridge was not built until 15 years after the Judith Bridge was demolished.
Over the years, when the bridge stands, it was significantly damaged by 2 large floods. Floods in 1784 and 1890. Mostly it took away the stanchions...
A major overhaul in the 19th century revealed cracks in the material that threatened the bridge. Since then, Charles Bridge has been reserved for pedestrians only, and material is being restored if necessary.
Main information from:
https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karlův_most
https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juditin_most
From our external collaborator Tereza Kultová