Crossing Charles Bridge - Prague

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http://www.heygo.com 2nd February - Crossing Charles Bridge - Prague

Charles IV. Monument has a sword in one hand and a foundation charter of the university in the other hand.

The pedestal is adorned with images of four faculties, theology, medicine, law and philosophy.

The Monument was revealed in 1849, because there were fights around it in 1848 and the statue had to be encased to be protected from damage.



According to the royal astronomers, construction of the bridge commenced at the suitable, lucky time of 5:31am on July 9th 1357. In palindromic terms this time can be numerated as a sequence of ascending and descending odd numbers (135797531); these numbers are carved on the Old Town Bridge Tower. Although construction ended at the beginning of the 15th century, this famous bridge did not have the look or name of today. In the beginning, it was known as the Stone Bridge. It has survived many floods and battles. In the 17th century, most of the statues and sculptures intended to line the bridge were created in wood, stone replicas have replaced the originals.



Charles Bridge is 516 meters long, 9.5 meters wide, 13 meters high, and stands on 15 pillars. It’s also the part of the so-called Royal Route.

The oldest bridge still standing over the Vltava river and the second oldest bridge in the Czech Republic.

Charles IV had it built in 1357, after the previous bridge had been destroyed by floods in 1342, it took almost half a century to finish it. The bridge, formerly known as “Stone” or “Prague”, has only been called “Charles Bridge” since 1870. And until 1841 it was the only bridge over the Vltava river in Prague.



There are 30, predominantly Baroque, statues and groups of statues on Charles Bridge. Most of them were created at the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries. Today the statues are gradually being replaced by copies for reasons of preservation.



The oldest statue is that of Saint John of Nepomuk, who became a martyr when King Wenceslas IV had him thrown off the bridge into the Vltava in 1393. The statue, by Jan Brokoff, was completed in 1683. The actual spot from which the saint was hurled riverwards is today marked by a brass archbishop's cross on the wall of the bridge. It is said that if you place your hand there in such a way as to reach one of the stars your wish will come true.



Plenty of photo opportunities. I need to visit this beautiful city for real !



As we walked across bridge to the other side we viewed The Čertovka, sometimes also called Little Venice in English. The canal is situated in the Lesser or Little Quarter.



The origins of this picturesque district date back to the mid-13th century. After the foundation of the town, the original settlers were replaced by colonists of mostly foreign nationalities. Charles IV extended the minor town of Prague with other plots of land but the town remained. The area is full of splendid palaces built by leading noble families and aristocrats.



Our tour came to an end along the riverbank where Nikola our guide pulled out of her pocket some food to feed the swans and ducks.

A brilliant tour !

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