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The first stone
bridge over the Vltava, replacing a wood construction, was built
between 1158 and 1732 during the reign of King Vladislav I. This
bridge, named Judith bridge collapsed in 1342. In 1357, Charles
IV started the construction of a new bridge. The supervisor of
the project was Peter Parler, who also constructed the chancel of
the St. Vitus Cathedral. The Karlov Most, 502 meters long and
resting on 16 arches was wide enough for 4 carriages to cross at
the same time and would be the only permanent link between both
riversides. Until 1683, there was no statue on the bridge. The
statue of St. John of Nepomuk was the first one placed on the
Charles Bridge, resulting in the total of about 30 sculptures
presently decorating the Karlov Most.
On the Lesser Town end of the Charles Bridge are two bridge
towers. The smaller one is a 12th century remainder of the Judith
Bridge. The taller, Late Gothic tower was erected in 1464 on the
orders of King George of Podebrady who wanted a counterweight to
the old town bridge tower. Foundation of this Late Gothic tower
was started in 1370 and finished around 1400. The beautiful
sculptures decorating this tower are created by Peter Parler.
Simona