Charles Bridge is the oldest preserved bridge over the Vltava River in Prague and the second oldest preserved bridge in the Czech Republic. It was built in 1357 and the legend says that the foundation stone was laid on 9 July at 5.31 a.m. Thus, it is sequence 1-3-5-7-9-7-5-3-1. It was believed that thanks to that the bridge would stand forever. It is the fourth stone bridge construction in Bohemia. Due to the stone bridge Prague became an important stop on European trade routes. 30 baroque statues and sculptures were gradually placed on the bridge. The most famous among them is the statue of the Saint John of Nepomuk. Originally, the bridge was called just “Stone Bridge” or “Prague Bridge”.
Charles Bridge links the Old Town with the Lesser Quarter. It is 515.76 metres long and 9.40 to 9.50 metres wide. It is formed by sixteen arches. There are three bends within its length and it is slightly convex up stream. It was founded on millstones that might have been supported with oak piles bases.
The bridge is completed with three towers. In the Lesser Quarter there are the smaller and bigger Lesser Quarter Bridge Towers and in the Old Town it is the Old Town Bridge Tower, which, however, does not stand on the edge bridge support, as usual with bridge towers, but on the first inner pillar. Until not long ago, there were tram routes along the bride.
