Thirty sculptures on a bridge? Only in Bohemia!
Our creative team was tired of everyday life and to air out their creative heads, they went to Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, to drink local beer in pubs and enjoy the former Bohemia’s colorite. Of course, beer and nightlife it was the priority for the first evenings, but there was also the goal to view and immortalize the sculptural objects visible in one place, which are majestically arranged on the present-day Charles Bridge.
Originally called the Stone Bridge or Prague Bridge, its construction began in 1357 under the leadership of Charles IV and was completed in 1402 In the year. Becoming an important link between both sides of the city. Only since 1870 has the bridge been called Charles Bridge.
Charles IV, King of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor, envisioned Prague as the political, cultural, and spiritual capital of Europe. The new stone bridge across the Vltava River was crucially important to the realization of this dream. Plus, the divine sign - Judith’s Bridge had washed away by floods. The new bridge was designed to be stronger and more resistant to weather conditions. Both the bridge and the cathedral were designed by the same architect, Petr Parler. Of course, the entire project was supervised by Charles IV himself, great importance was granted to astrology, we can assume that he, possibly, meticulously calculated the necessary relocation of the bridge, in 1357 building it at a slightly different angle than Judith’s Bridge.
I.n.t.e.r.e.s.t.i.n.g. Once a year, on the summer solstice — between June 20th and 22th — the sun sets directly above St. Vitus Cathedral. If you stand on the Old Town Bridge Tower of Charles Bridge about an hour before sunset, you’ll be able to watch the sun approach the church, then cross the summit of the main tower and set directly above the altar, so, for a brief moment, again appear from the horizon and again set. Some claim that this divine scene is just a coincidence, but astrology is a serious science of observation and the science of numbers that assert the opposite :)
On the sides of the bridge are placed statues of saints, many of which were added in the 17th and 18th centuries. These statues are the highlight of a visit to the Charles Bridge, demonstrating the skills of the contemporary sculptors who created them. The most prominent Bohemian sculptors of that time participated in the decoration of the bridge, such as Matthias Braun, Jan Brokoff and his sons Michael Joseph and Ferdinand Maximilian.
Individual Prague craft guilds decided to place their patrons on the bridge and thereby publicly represent their craft to the passing inhabitants of Prague. The shipping guild placed the statue of Saint James, the carpenters - Saint Joseph, the vintners - Saint Ludmila, the millers - Saint Anne, and so on…….->
Most of the statues adorning the Charles Bridge are replicas. Originally, the bridge was much simpler and more functional. Only with the flourishing of Baroque culture were the intricate statues and plaques added to the bridge, from the end of the 17th century up to the beginning of the 20th century. The history of flooding of the Vltava River has made the bridge a dangerous place for such works of art, and sandstone poorly withstands the tests of the open air :) Due to these factors, the statues were exchanged for convincing replicas. Some originals can still be found in Gorlice, in the walls of Vyšehrad, and in the Lapidary of the National Museum in Holešovice.
Although standing on the bridge today it would be hard to imagine, but nevertheless, automobile traffic was permitted on the bridge from 1965 - 1978, when the bridge was renovated and its asphalt surface was removed. Earlier, the bridge was also used by horse-drawn trams, electric trams, and traders’ carts.
On the Charles Bridge promenade, there are at least 30 predominantly Baroque-style pedestals and sculptures, which are located on the balustrade and create a unique artistic style – a connection to the underlying Gothic bridge. The majority of the sculptures depict various saints and holy patrons who were revered at the time.
Contrary to popular belief, the Charles Bridge is not the oldest stone bridge in Europe or even in the Czech Republic. The oldest is located in the city of Písek, and its history dates back to the end of the 13th century.
On the Prague Bridge one can also find quite useful loops which serve as a warning to residents to start packing their belongings since flood threats are inevitable. On the side of the bridge, there is a loop that locals call '' Bearded ''. As soon as the water level reaches the loop’s beard, floods are inevitable; during the greatest floods in Prague’s history this loop was 2m underwater.
Charles Bridge has witnessed some heartbreaking scenes in its time. It also served as a place of execution or public punishment for criminals. Those whom they found guilty were dunked into the river in baskets woven from brushwood – lowered down over the bridge’s railings. The crimes for which this punishment was applied included the use of falsified weights and measures in the market.
However, Bohemia was the trade mecca of its time and cheating with weights — insignificant today, but in those times a highly reprehensible offense, even punishable by death.
I.n.t.e.r.e.s.t.i.n.g. Prague has a well-developed metro system and the deepest metro station is Náměstí Míru. It is 53 meters deep and has the longest escalator of all Prague metro stations. Before we arrived in Prague we didn’t even have any idea that there is metro traffic in the city :)
P.S.
A great and easy trip, in good company with the artistic goal to view sculptural objects created at various points on the bridge, to 100% is fulfilled. Prague is divided by the Charles Bridge. Old Bohemia and urbanized Prague, it is this bridge that connects the ancient with the modern, while You find yourself on it, you are among the crowds of people and simultaneously alone, time comes to a halt, the sounds and chatter of people vanish You enjoy the colorfulness of each figure as it tells its contemporary story and attests to human faith in the divine — without dividing faith into castes and confessional affiliation.
An expression of art in its pure form, even if it is only a replica it contains this message for each of us individually, but the message which our ancestors have left by carving it into stone…. In this case supplementing it with that stone bridge, which itself is the masterpiece of engineering and architecture of that time :) :) :)