Charles Bridge

Timeline

1. 1357Vltava River, Prague · PragueCharles IV ordered a wider, stronger stone bridge built along the line of the Judith Bridge destroyed by flood; the foundation stone was laid on 9 July 1357. The new bridge served his plan to elevate Prague to an imperial capital, providing a stable route between the castle, the St. Vitus Cathedral worksite, and the Old Town market.
2. 1357–1399Prague · BohemiaThe work was carried out by the workshop of Peter Parler, who was simultaneously directing St. Vitus Cathedral, using sandstone to build sixteen arches of unequal span. After Charles IV died in 1378, his son Wenceslas IV continued the funding. When Parler died in 1399 the bridge was unfinished, but its structure and the Gothic design of the Old Town Bridge Tower were already set.
3. c. 1402Prague · BohemiaThe stone bridge was completed around 1402, connecting Old Town and Lesser Town (Malá Strana), and became the main thoroughfare across the Vltava passable by carts and horses. Until 1841 it remained the only bridge across the river within Prague, carrying trade, pilgrimage, and court traffic.
4. 1402Prague · Czech RepublicAfter opening, the bridge was repeatedly damaged by floods and warfare, yet was repeatedly repaired and kept on its original line. From the 17th century statues of saints were added to the parapets, and in modern times it was named Charles Bridge. As a medieval stone bridge still in use, it continues to define the urban axis across both banks of Prague.