Charles Bridge

The famous Charles Bridge stands at the site of at least two previous bridges – a wooden one, over which the body of St. Wenceslas was brought to Prague, and the more well-known Judith Bridge, destroyed by a flood in 1342. For a long period of 450 years, the Charles Bridge was the only bridge across the Vltava River. The importance of this structure is confirmed by a pair of richly decorated bridge towers and baroque sculptures gradually installed at the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries. The name of Emperor Charles IV has been associated with the bridge since 1870 when four additional bridges were already standing in Prague. Before that, it was known simply as the Prague Bridge or the Stone Bridge, and as the only bridge, it had to serve all the important functions for the city’s operation. A horse-drawn tram was introduced on the bridge, and from 1905, an electrified tram was also established, powered by a clever system designed by František Křižík. The bridge served automobile traffic until 1965.