Charles Bridge across Vltava river made only for pedestrians.
Charles bridge replaced Judith bridge that was build in 1170, but
collapsed in 1342. Its reconstruction began in 1357, July (seventh
month) 9, at 5 o'clock 31 minutes with the first stone laid by king
Charles VI himself. This date was specifically chosen as it
represents a mathematical pyramid with the number "9" on top and
1.3.5.7.9.7.5.3.1 below. It was believed that this set of numbers is
especially favorable for any undertaking including erection of the
Charles Bridge. Its construction was later continued under
supervision of architect Peter Parler. Its 30 statues were added
later with inscriptions from the donors.
One of the statues has iron relief on its base. The material that
makes this work got darker except the center due to a belief that
once touched main wish will come true. Thousands of hands that
touched polished the iron plate. Another remarkable statue is that
of Crucifixion. It is the first statue on the bridge and stood here
alone for 200 years since 1629. Hebrew letters are translated as
"Holy, Holy, Holy Lord". They were added as a punishment of a Jewish
man who spoke crap about Christianity. Obviously political
correctness standards were different back then. He had to pay for
his blasphemy with golden letters that were added here.
Forerunner buildings and the construction of today's
bridge
A ford initially served as a crossing over the Moldau,
probably supplemented by raft traffic since the 9th century. A wooden
bridge was first mentioned in the 10th century by the envoy of the
Caliph of Cordoba, Ibrahim ibn Yaqub. The wooden bridge was repeatedly
damaged and finally destroyed by a flood in 1157 or 1158. Between 1158
and around 1170 the first stone bridge in Prague was built in the
Romanesque style, the Judith Bridge (Juditin most, named after Judith of
Thuringia, the wife of Duke Vladislav II). In 1342 this was also
destroyed by the Magdalenen flood. One of the two bridge towers in
Lesser Town remained intact, as did a gate tower (which was later
incorporated into the Maltese Monastery) and some piers and bridge
arches, which were integrated into residential buildings in Lesser Town.
The foundation stone of the Charles Bridge was laid in 1357 by
Emperor Charles IV. According to different sources, the celebration was
either on June 15 (Feast of Saint Vitus) or on July 9, the ninth day of
the seventh month at 5:31 a.m., so that the date can be represented by a
regular sequence of odd numbers: 1-3-5-7-9-7-5-3-1.
Larger and
smaller tidal waves and heavy ice have repeatedly threatened the bridge
throughout its history, most recently in 1872/74 when five piers were
severely damaged.
In 1890, during another flood, two pillars
collapsed from drifting tree trunks. The repairs were under the
direction of Josef Hlávka and the Viennese professor Franz von Rziha.
They dragged on for two years.
The architect of the Charles Bridge is not known for
certain. It was long believed to be the work of Peter Parler. But a new
theory from 2007 says the architect was a Prague stonemason named Otto,
also known as Otlin. However, work on the bridge and towers was under
the direction of Parler.
Based on the model of the Stone Bridge
in Regensburg, it was built as an arch bridge with 16 arches. It is 516
meters long and around 10 meters wide. The arches are arranged almost
symmetrically over the entire bridge construction. Old millstones,
granite from the riverbed and sandstone (from the quarries of the
Crusaders with the Red Star near Hloubětín) were used as building
materials. The tradition that the mortar was enriched with eggs to
increase stability was answered contradictory after scientific material
analyzes during the reconstruction in 2008. However, the admixture of
quark and wine as "Roman mortar" could be proven.
Significance of
the bridge, damage and modifications
In the period that followed, the
Stone Bridge (Kamenný most) or Prague Bridge (Pražský most) made a
significant contribution to making Prague an important trading post
between Western and Eastern Europe. The Knights of the Cross with the
Red Star were initially responsible for protecting the bridge.
In
1432 three pillars of the bridge were damaged by a flood. At the end of
the Thirty Years' War, the bridge was the scene of fierce fighting in
1648 when Swedish troops besieged Prague's Old Town from Lesser Town on
the west bank of the Vltava River.
Around 1700, the bridge
essentially took on its present form, with the thirty baroque sculptures
symmetrical on either side. A symbolic figure was erected just above
each arched pillar.
It was not until 1870 that the bridge was
officially renamed Charles Bridge. From 1883 a horse tram ran over it.
In 1905 the horse-drawn tram was replaced by a tram, which gave way to
buses three years later. For centuries it was an important transport
connection between the Prague districts.
Extensive renovation work was carried out from 1965 to
1978 after more detailed investigations revealed numerous cracks, mainly
caused by rainwater and the road salt used in winter service. The repair
costs totaled around 50 million crowns: sandstone blocks and granite
blocks had to be replaced. The bridge structure was then closed to all
vehicle traffic. It is frequented by pedestrians, artists and souvenir
dealers offer their products here, and a bridge band plays music several
times a day.
Starting in 2007, more recent extensive restoration
work took place in stages, which was to last until after 2011. These
measures were heavily criticized because an allegedly unqualified
construction company was commissioned. In 2010, the monument protection
authority of the Czech Republic imposed a fine of around 130,000 euros
on the city of Prague because serious mistakes had been made during the
renovation. Among other things, complaints were made that historical
stone blocks had been unnecessarily destroyed and replaced with
inappropriate replicas. UNESCO also began investigating, as Charles
Bridge is a World Heritage Site as part of Prague's Old Town. A petition
launched in October 2009 to save the Charles Bridge, calling for the
reconstruction to be halted in its current form, has been signed by over
43,135 people (as of March 2011).
Old technology is used in the
efforts to present the bridge in an appropriate light: the electric
lighting for the historic lanterns was converted to gas using Berlin
technology and has been in operation since November 11, 2010. In the
future, night watchmen will switch gas lanterns on and off on Charles
Bridge like in the old days.
When the Charles Bridge was inaugurated, it did not
have any bridge decorations. It was only gradually that sculptures of
saints and patrons were placed over the bridge piers, beginning in 1629
and predominately in the early 18th century. These come from various
sculptors' workshops and are mostly in the Baroque style. This includes
e.g. B. Saint Lutgard of Tongeren. Probably the best known is the bronze
statue of St. John of Nepomuk, donated by Matthias Gottfried Freiherr
von Wunschwitz, created by the sculptor Johann Brokoff around 1683 as a
wooden model, cast by Wolf Hieronymus Herold in Nuremberg and erected on
August 31, 1693 from March 20th to March 21st, 1393 had been thrown from
the Charles Bridge and drowned in the Vltava. The metal reliefs to the
right and left of the statue were also made in Nuremberg.
Since
1965, the stone figures have been gradually replaced by replicas; the
originals go to the Lapidarium of the National Museum.
The
following table lists the total of 30 characters.
Striking are the towers on both sides of the bridge,
which were completed at different times.
Old Town Bridge Tower
On the Old Town side, between 1370 and 1380, the Old Town Bridge Tower
was built in the Gothic style just above the first bridge pier, the east
facade of which has been preserved over the centuries. The coats of arms
of all countries that were part of the Czech Kingdom at the time the
bridge was built, the coat of arms of the Roman emperor, the coat of
arms of the Czech king and a kingfisher surrounded by a veil (a symbol
of Wenceslaus IV) are carved in sandstone. At the level of the second
floor of the tower, two bridge arches are designed in relief, on which
St. Wenceslas is depicted in the middle as the patron saint of the
bridge. On both sides are the statues of Charles IV in imperial dignity
and Wenceslaus IV with the crown of a Roman king. On the next floor
there is a shield with an eagle and a (non-heraldic) lion. Statues of
Saint Adalbert and Saint Siegmund form the upper end of the façade.
The tower can be climbed and circumnavigated on a viewing platform.
A historically dressed trumpeter often entertains the tourists from up
there.
In the towers and in the passage, the walls and ceilings
are decorated with paintings, which were restored to their original
Gothic appearance at the end of the 19th century. The net vault of the
gateway has a keystone designed as a royal crown. The work on this tower
is attributed to Peter Parler.
The decoration on the west facade
was destroyed during the bombardment by Swedish troops and was not
restored. The tower also served as a political issue: the heads of 27
executed participants in the 1618 uprising against the Habsburgs were
hung on poles outside for ten years (1621-1631) as a deterrent. A plaque
placed in 1650 commemorates the participants in the liberation struggles
against the Swedes in 1648.
Lesser Town Bridge Towers
The
lower of the two towers is the slightly modified intact tower of the
Judith Bridge. It is built in the Romanesque style on a rectangular
ground plan. Preserved decorations from this period are remains of
sgraffito, windows, gables and the roof. In 1591 it was rebuilt in the
Renaissance style.
In 1464 the taller Lesser Town Bridge Tower
was built by order of King George of Podebrady, probably on the site of
an older Romanesque tower. The design was based on the old town bridge
tower on the east bank. The towers were joined by a crenellated archway
in the 15th century.