Also known as: Karlův Most Type: Bridge Maximum width: 1,706 feet / 520 meters Location: Spanning the Vltava River, connecting the Little Quarter with the Old Town., Prague, Czech Republic
Description by Wayne Lorentz T he most famous landmark in Prague, the Charles Bridge has been carrying people across the river for hundreds of years. It was commissioned by Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV in 1357 to replace the old Judith Bridge which was destroyed by the flood of 1342. The Judith Bridge was the second medieval stone bridge erected in Europe. Its western tower (built in 1158) still stands just to the south of the current Little Quarter bridge tower. When completed, it was an engineering marvel, wide enough for four carriages to pass simultaneously. These days, it is a pedestrian paradise with tourists and daydreamers promenading across the sandstone arches from one side to the other, stealing glances at the statues lining each side. The bridge has suffered from environmental damage, neglect, and ordinary wear and tear. Today, many of the statues that once lined the bridge are in the National Museum for safe keeping. But copies have been put in their place, and the tourists don't know the difference. Traveling from west to east, the monumnts you encounter are:
* Saint Wenceslas (1858)
* Saint Cosmas, Jesus Christ, and Saint Damiam (1709)
* Saint John de Matha, Saint Felix de Valois, and the Blessed Ivan (1714)
* Saint Vitus (1714)
* Saint Adalbert (1709)
* Saint Philip Benizi (1714)
* Saint Luitgard (1710)
* Saint Cajetan (1709)
* Saint Nicholas Tolentino (1708)
* Saint Augustine (1708)
* Saint Vincent Ferrer and Saint Procopius (1712)
* Saint Jude Thaddaeus (1708)
* Saint Francis of Assisi with two angels (1855)
* Saint Anthony of Padua (1707)
* Saint Ludmilla (1710)
* Saint Norbert, Saint Wenceslas, and Saint Sigismund (1853)
* Saint Francis Borgia (1710)
* Saint John the Baptist (1857)
* Saint Christopher (1857)
* Saint Cyril and Saint Methodius (1938)
* Saint Francis Xavier (1711)
* Saint Ann (1707)
* Saint Joseph (1854)
* Jesus on the cross (1629)
* Pietà (1859)
* The Madonna, Saint Dominic, and Saint Thomas (1708)
* Saint Barbara, Saint Margaret, and Saint Elizabeth (1707)
* The Madonna and Saint Bernard (1709)
>For centuries, the bridge's only decoration was a wooden cross erected in the 1500's. A wooden cross still stands on the same location, but a golden figure of Christ was added in 1629. The crucifix is also adorned with gold Hebrew letters spelling out "Holy, Holy, Holy Lord." This was a punishment for the Jew forced to pay for it after being accused of blasphemy.
David Waghalter
November 3rd, 2002
The translation of the Hebrew on the statue is more commonly given as "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts" and is comprised of the first 5 words of Isaiah 6:3.
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David Waghalter