9 Facts You Need to Know About Charles Bridge, Prague
Bindu swetha
'The epicenter of Czech spirit', the Charles Bridge is a historic landmark, an incredible piece of art, a part of Czech history, and one of the most beautiful bridges in Europe!
A wooden bridge was built at the site of the bridge that collapsed in 1157 giving way to the 21-arch stone Judith bridge in 1158, that too collapsed in 1342 after an intense flood! Then in 1357, Charles IV built the current Charles Bridge.
The bridge was formerly known as the 'Stone Bridge'. It was only in 1870 that the bridge was renamed as the 'Charles Bridge'.
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Part of the Royal Route, the bridge is about 516 meters long and 9.5 meters wide with 15 pillars and 30 statues!
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How about watching the sunset over the St Vitus' cathedral with your loved one? You can experience this between June 20 and 22 at the Charles Bridge if you stand near the Old Town Tower.
The first monument to be erected at the bridge was the bronze crucifix statue of St. Cross with Calvary. The statue has a Hebrew inscription that translates as 'Holy Holy Holy is Our Lord'.
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Another interesting statue at the bridge is the stone head that's carved into parapet called the Breaded Man or Bradáč. The history says that, Bradáč served as a warning of imminent flooding during the Medieval times. If the water reached his beard, it was considered a flood warning!
Earlier tram and car traffic, both were allowed on the bridge! But thankfully in 1965, all sorts of traffic was banned and the bridge was made accessible only to pedestrians.
The original 30 statues were replaced by their replicas in 1965 and the originals were displayed at the Lapidarium of the National Museum.
Mass and procession of pilgrims with a parade of Venetian gondoliers, a baroque music concert, a dragon boat race - that's what you can witness during the Baroque festival, Navalis that is held in May.
The Charles bridge is open for public open 24/7, throughout the year and they don't charge any entrance fees as well!