Till the 19th century Charles Bridge was the only bridge in Prague. The bridge was originally called the Stone Bridge or the Prague´s Bridge. It has been called the "Charles Bridge" since 1870. This bridge was build in 1357 replacing the former Romanesque Judith´s bridge (named after Judith - the spouse of King Vladislav I), which was destroyed by the flood in 1342. Charles IV. chose a symbolic date for laying of the cornerstone, represented by an ascending and descending sequence of odd numbers: 1.3.5.7.9.7.5.3.1. - it means that the bridge was founded in 1357, ninth day of the seventh month (9 July) at 5 o´clock and 31 minutes. Bridge was already chopped about by the floods several times. Last time it happened in 1890 when the drift-wood tore down thwo pillars. Formerly the public traffic ran across the bridge, including trams and late also buses, but it was all terminated in 1965. The lower Lesser Town Bridge Tower comes from the previous Judith´s bridge (12th century). The higher tower was built in the second half of the 15th century, during the reign of George of Poděbrady. Old Town Bridge Tower was built in the same time as Charles Bridge. It belongs among the most beautiful Gothic towers in Europe. The decoration of the tower´s western wall was destroyed by the Swedes at the end of the thirty years´ war in 1648.
History
Till the 19th century Charles Bridge was the only bridge in Prague. The bridge was originally called the Stone Bridge or the Prague´s Bridge. It has been called the "Charles Bridge" since 1870.
This bridge was build in 1357 replacing the former Romanesque Judith´s bridge (named after Judith - the spouse of King Vladislav I), which was destroyed by the flood in 1342. Charles IV. chose a symbolic date for laying of the cornerstone, represented by an ascending and descending sequence of odd numbers: 1.3.5.7.9.7.5.3.1. - it means that the bridge was founded in 1357, ninth day of the seventh month (9 July) at 5 o´clock and 31 minutes.
Bridge was already chopped about by the floods several times. Last time it happened in 1890 when the drift-wood tore down thwo pillars. Formerly the public traffic ran across the bridge, including trams and late also buses, but it was all terminated in 1965.
The lower Lesser Town Bridge Tower comes from the previous Judith´s bridge (12th century). The higher tower was built in the second half of the 15th century, during the reign of George of Poděbrady.
Old Town Bridge Tower was built in the same time as Charles Bridge. It belongs among the most beautiful Gothic towers in Europe. The decoration of the tower´s western wall was destroyed by the Swedes at the end of the thirty years´ war in 1648.