Excursion to Prague - Task 3 The Charles Bridge




The Charles Bridge The settlement of the area of today's Prague had been situated on both banks of the Vltava since early times, and thus the connection between the two parts was very important. Who is represented by a statue of a saint where you can find the text in the photograph

The Charles Bridge

The settlement of the area of today's Prague had been situated on both banks of the Vltava since early times, and thus the connection between the two parts was very important. Who is represented by a statue of a saint where you can find the text in the photograph. The construction of the bridge started in 1357 under the auspices of King Charles IV and finished at the beginning of the 15th century. The bridge replaced the old Judith Bridge built 1158–1172 that had been badly damaged by a flood in 1342. This new bridge was originally called Stone Bridge but it has been "Charles Bridge" since 1870. As the only means of crossing the river Vltava until 1841, Charles Bridge was the most important connection between Prague Castle and the city's Old Town and adjacent areas. Originally, it had no decoration, but at the end of the 17th century it was given the sculptural decoration that we cannot even imagine it now without. The statues of saints were built here by two most important Baroque sculptors Ferdinand Maxmilián Brokoff and Matthias Bernard Braun. In the Old Town there is an authentic portrait of the founder of the Charles IV Bridge.