Charles River Bridge (Karlův Most)

Charles River Bridge is considered to be one of most romantic signs of Prague, and one of its “must be seen” sites. Charles River Bridge (Karlův most) is a stone Gothic bridge, connecting Staré Místo (the Old Town) to the Malá Strana (the Lesser Quarter). Charles Bridge can be easily accessed by foot from Jewish Quarter, The Old Town Square, Prague Castle (Pražský hrad), Kampa Island and Petřín (Petrin) Hill, so is you’re planning a visit to the Bridge – you can accomplish this at the same day you visit any of the above.

The Charles River Bridge building had been ordered by Czech king Charles (Karl) IV after the Judith Bridge, that connected the banks of the Vltava before, collapsed in a flood in 1342. We’ve heard that the Charles River Bridge has a reputation of “the lovers’ bridge”, and as responsible lovers we chose this place as a must visit on our third day in Prague. Unfortunately, the weather was relatively cold, and at the moment the third of this 516 meters long bridge was behind us – a cruel wind from the Vltava drove us out the bridge.

Next day we dressed much better and were able to explore the bridge ourselves. I found out that this baroque-style bridge is has also quite a historical value in addition to its romantic qualities. The bridge is decorated by 30 statues, the earlier ones were placed on the bridge in the 17th century. Among the most notable statues, are the sculptures of St. Luthgard and St. Crucifix.
Closer to Malá Strana one can see the St. John of Nepomuk (Czech martyr saint) statue, which is supposed to bring good luck when touched and ensure your return to Prague. I truly recommend that you try it yourself, because in my case it really worked… I usually visit Prague more than once a year. Closer to the Old Town one can see an astonish Gothic Building - the Bridge Tower, built by Petr Parler, best known architect who was a member of a famous German Masons’ family. His works represent the tendency toward excessive ornamentation and technical flashiness of late Gothic architecture.
I warmly recommend visiting Charles River Bridge at least two times: during the daytime, when you’ll be able to make your own impression of its architectural qualities, and when evening falls, a time when you can experience its notorious romantic ambience. Having said that, be extremely careful of pickpockets on the bridge… They are neither romantic nor do they posses any historical values.