Walking along the Charles Bridge is to walk a miracle of Gothic engineering, which has withstood war, floods and revolution.
Prague's pride-and-joy – the 600-year old Charles Bridge, built in the reign of Charles IV, who gave it its name – doesn't just join the Prague's two halves together. As the only bridge to span the long, broad and turbulent Vltava River for many centuries, it was the sole connection between east and west Europe. Prague flourished, in no small part, because of the traffic flowing along its 488-metre length.Now, it's the pedestrian traffic of sight-seers and tourists who clog its cobbled surface. They come to marvel at one of the most beautiful bridges, in one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Its sixteen arches support a road that is 9 metres wide and a balustrade whose 30 saintly statues light up its way. Charles Bridge (or Karluv Most) is guarded by three bridge towers, of which the 61-metre high Old Town Bridge Tower is the most stunning. Designed by Schwabian architect Peter Parler, this is widely regarded as one of the finest examples of a Gothic tower in Europe.But bridges don't come easily to this curve of the Vltava River. The two bridges built here, before the Karluv Most, were swept away in torrential floods. At least five such mammoth floods have broken its arches, dislodged its pillars, or swept away its statues. The most recent, the flood of 2002, mercifully left only superficial damage. But the Charles Bridge has suffered at the hands of man too. The Swedes fought a battle right here on the bridge in 1648. The revolution of 1848 saw many of its saintly statues tossed into river. It even was used to exhibit the severed heads of 27 rebel leaders by the Hapsburgs in 1621.So the history hasn't always been as pretty as the view you can enjoy from the bridge now. And walking the Charles is a wonderful way to unfold the spectacle of Prague around you: Prague Castle, the St.Vitus Cathedral, the clambering red roofs of the Old Town. You almost feel as if the city has arranged itself for your inspection as you walk across. Come early enough in the morning and you might also avoid the crowds and be treated to an exclusive, uncluttered viewing.
