Charles Bridge (Karluv most)

Until 1836, the second-oldest stone bridge in Europe constituted the only route across the River Vltava and, as such, was of great strategic importance. It also played a key part in the life of the town as a market, a court and the scene of the coronation procession.
Although the foundation stone was laid in 1357, neither Charles IV or architects Peter Parler lived to see the completion of the bridge. With its 16 arches supported on piles, it covers a distance of more than 520 m (1,700 ft) across... the river. The bridge has an impressive width of 10 m (33 ft), enough to accommodate four coaches. In 1683, the citizens of Prague began to decorate the bridge railings with bronze statues and groups of figures of saints. St John of Nepomuk, which was cast by Matthias Rauchmüller in Nuremberg in 1683, is both the oldest and the most popular figure, because the saint was thrown to his death from this bridge by Wenceslas IV in 1393. The Old Town Bridge Tower, with its sculptures, is an outstanding work of architecture. The bridge has just undergone extensive restoration work. more

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