![]() ![]() It has a huge religious meaning, since it immortalizes the memory of John of Nepomuk (“Jan Nepomucký” or “Johánek z Pomuka” in Czech), one of the most significant Czech saints. One of the most interesting statues on Charles Bridge is definitely the Statue of St. So let´s just briefly describe some of them… We could basically write a whole article on every single one of them, without becoming boring, since these art pieces all burst with their own stories and meaning. You will find three tens of magnificent statues on the bridge, mounted in two rows. Significant Components & StatuesĬharles Bridge, spanning the Vltava river with 16 pillars, is rich in statues and decorative lamps, and it catches the eye immediately with its beautiful Gothic bridge towers on both ends. It is a magnificent, charming historical building, often full not only with tourists, but also various artists, painters and musicians. Nevertheless, Charles Bridge is not a scary place, quite the contrary. Other – vice versa – believe that if you see the cross, it is a sign of something tragic coming… And nowadays, many people swear to have seen the cross (that was removed from the bridge long ago) in their hardest times. Allegedly, convicts sentenced to the death penalty were allowed to kneel under it and pray – on the way to their execution. The other scary urban legend tells of a cross that used to be placed at Charles Bridge. For making the bridge reparable again, the builder promised the soul of the first person to step on the bridge to the Devil… Charles Bridge is Magical, Especially During the Night One of the builders, believing that it was God’s penalty for Nepomuk’s fate, decided to make a pact with the Devil. And every attempt to fix the bridge failed mysteriously. ![]() According to a Czech folk-tale, soon after his tortured body was thrown down from Charles Bridge, one of the bridge arches collapsed. ![]() The first one is connected with John of Nepomuk, whom we already mentioned. Both of those will especially speak to the lovers of scary stories. ![]() But what is most likely a myth is the story being told – that there were not enough eggs in Prague, so that they were brought from every corner of the land and the inhabitants in one of the regions were afraid that the eggs would break during the transport, so that they sent them boiled – to the great amusement of the whole of Prague.Īpart from the already above mentioned legends, let´s describe two more interesting “urban myths”, connected with Charles Bridge. Historians still has not come to any conclusive agreement whether it is true or not. According to one of those, the builders decided to strengthen the bridge by adding raw eggs into a mortar. Of course the damage will be fixed, but this affair might serve as a symbolical reminder of how even the most valuable historical landmarks, that have lasted for centuries, today often face threats by thoughtless people who are not able to respect what hundreds of thousands of people come to admire every year…Ĭharles Bridge is built of sandstone blocks and it’s construction is surrounded by many interesting legends. If caught, the vandals might theoretically face a sentence of up to three years of imprisonment. And recently (February 2016), there was a scandal…in a sad and hardly understandable act of vandalism, some foreign tourists damaged the bridge – spraying signs on it. Statuary of the Holy Crucifix and Calvary at Charles BridgeĬharles Bridge has undergone many restoration procedures. And until 1841 it was the only bridge over the Vltava river in Prague. The bridge, formerly known as “Stone” or “Prague”, has only been called “Charles Bridge” since 1870. The construction of the bridge was led by Peter Parler (“Petr Parléř” in Czech), the famous German-Czech architect, and it took almost half a century to finish it (It was completed in 1402). Charles IV had it built in 1357, after the previous bridge (“Judith Bridge”) had been destroyed by floods in 1342. Charles Bridge is the oldest bridge still standing over the Vltava river in Prague and the second oldest bridge in the Czech Republic. ![]()
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