Charles Bridge

• November 16, 2009
• Rated 5 of 5 by Atojevse from Prague, Czech Republic

One of the greatest places in Prague. The oldest bridge in Czech Republic. You feel there the atmosphere of history. But I recommend you not to go there on weekend, cause there´s too many tourists.

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A Beautiful and Historical Bridge

• September 14, 2009
• Rated 4 of 5 by Gemma_C from Sunderland, United Kingdom

Before I visited Prague I heard from a few people that Charles Bridge was certainly a 'must-see attraction' in Prague, but I should also be prepared for 'huge crowds' and being unable to move. I'm not too keen on crowds, but I did want to visit this famous bridge and decided I would just grin and bear it, whilst also securing all my belongings after hearing stories of pickpocketing.

Thankfully on my visit to Prague at the end of June 2009 I discovered a less-than-packed Charles Bridge. I put this down to the weather, the whole 4 days I was in Prague it was raining and miserable, whilst this didn't bother me, it obviously kept many of the tourists away!

Charles Bridge is a famous historical bridge that crosses the Vltava river. The construction of the bridge began in 1357 under the reign of Charles IV, and was not finished until the beginning of the 15th century.

During the day you'll find the bridge to be full of painters and kiosk owners selling everything from handmade jewellery to photos and paintings of Prague. It was nice to stroll along the bridge taking in the view of Prague Castle, and stopping to browse some of the artwork along the way. I wasn't 'hounded' by people, unlike Paris when I walked along one street and artists were standing infront of waving paper and pens frantically. I noticed each of the kiosks displayed a license stating that they are allowed to trade on the bridge.

The statues on the bridge are impressive to look at, despite them not being the original statues which are now stored in the National Museum. However they are certainly interesting to look at and rteally give the bridge it's gothic feel. On the Old Town side of the bridge you can see the wonderful gothic Old Town bridge tower, which is open for you to climb up (at a price) until quite late in the evening.

There was some work being done on the bridge during our visit, meaning some parts were cornered off, it appeared they were replaxing the stone floor. If it had been very busy this would have caused quite a crush, but we never had any problems with the bridge being busy, as it wasn't.

At night the bridge lights up in a rather romantic fashion, and I took a lovely photos of the bridge at night. With the impressive lit up Prague Castle in the background it makes for a lovely evening stroll. The crowds also die down on an evening and there's more room as the traders have long packed up for the night. One evening of our stay we walked along the bridge and saw a woman put a pie out on her window sil to cool, we found this quite amusing! Then we heard wonderful singing and music. At first we couldn't figure out where this was coming from, until we realised it was coming from under the bridge. We quickly walked round to come under the bridge, and a large choir had set up drawing in quite a small crowd under one of the arches of the bridge. It was a lovely evening standing there watching this choir, and certainly sticks in my head.

You may notice people stroking one of the statues on the bridge. This is a superstition, where if you stroke the Saint falling from the bridge you will have good luck. Just next to it is a small dog, and if you stroke that you also have good luck, though the dog is a more recent one! We watched a tour guide convincing his group to stroke the statue, it was quite funny to watch!

Also near the end of the bridge there's a house which has a picture of the Virgin Mary and a small lampost infront of it. Apparently if you see the light go out on the lampost then a death is imminent.... thankfully the lamp didn't go out for us ;)

I highly recommend visiting Charles Bridge, especially in the evening when it makes for a romantic stroll.

From journal 4 Days in Prague

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Charles Bridge

• January 1, 2007
• Rated 5 of 5 by morph! from Belfast, United Kingdom

From journal Prague - Perfect for a Getaway with Girls

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Charles Bridge

• August 28, 2006
• Rated 5 of 5 by Albertrayon from Tampa, Florida

From journal Christmas in Prague

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Charles Bridge

• July 28, 2006
• Rated 5 of 5 by LenR from Townsville, Australia

Charles Bridge is one of my three top attractions in Prague. It joins Old Town Square and Prague Castle as three things that you simply cannot miss. The bridge can be walked across in 5 minutes (during early morning), but we went back and back while we were in Prague and probably spent several hours enjoying the view, the bridge itself and the people scene. The first stone bridge over the Vltava River, replacing a wooden construction, was built in the 12th century during the reign of King Vladislav I. This bridge, named Judith Bridge, collapsed in 1342.

Charles Bridge is a stone Gothic bridge that connects the Old Town and Malá Strana. It was actually called the Stone Bridge during the first several centuries. It is said that egg yolks were mixed into the mortar to strengthen the construction of the bridge. Unlike its predecessor, Charles Bridge has survived many floods, most recently in August 2002, when the country experienced the worst flood in the past 500 years - so the egg yolks must not have been such a bad idea. Considering the weight of tourists it has to bear, it's surprising this one hasn't collapsed too!

The Charles Bridge is 502 meters long. Resting on 16 arches, it was wide enough for four carriages to cross at the same time and was for a long time the only permanent link between both riversides. On the Lesser Town end of the Charles Bridge there are two bridge towers. The smaller one is a 12th-century remainder of the Judith Bridge. The taller late-Gothic tower was erected in 1464 on the orders of King George of Podebrady, who wanted a counterweight to the Old Town Bridge Tower.

Thirty Baroque statues began to be placed on either side of Charles Bridge in the 17th century. Now many of them are copies. The most popular statue is probably the one of St. John of Nepomuk, a Czech martyr saint who was executed during the reign of Wenceslas IV by being thrown into the Vltava from the bridge. The plaque on the statue has been polished to a shine from countless people touching it over the centuries. Touching the statue is supposed to bring good luck and ensure your return to Prague. Of course, I touched it.

Charles Bridge is also popular with Czech artists, musicians and souvenir vendors whose stands line both sides of the bridge year-round. You will find artists selling their wares, tourists by the thousands and wily thieves and pickpockets. A great time of day to come to the bridge is after sunset, when one can enjoy a breathtaking view of the fully lit Prague Castle against the evening sky. Don’t forget the camera.

I visited in October, when visitor numbers are down, but I was told that the bridge becomes unbearably crowded during peak season. That’s when you have to be particularly wary of pickpockets.

From journal Prague Bits and Pieces

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