Charles Bridge

In case you haven't guessed, this is Charles IV again. Charles Bridge is a medieval stone arch bridge begun in 1357 with work continuing for about 50 years. The bridge is now on the UNESCO list.
The 1st picture looks at the bridge from another of the many bridges that exist now. However, up until about 1840, this bridge was the only crossing of the Vlatava, make Prague an even more important trade town.
The 2nd picture is of the gate tower at the old town end of the bridge. This is said to be original from the 14th century.
The 3rd picture looks across the bridge from the tower in the 2nd picture. You can see in silhouette some of the baroque statues that the bridge is famous for. The original bridge had no statues. They were added in the 17th century. None of the statues today are original save one. That is the statue in the 4th picture of St John of Nepomuck. The legend says he was tossed off the bridge because he wouldn't break the seal of the confessional and divulge the queen's confession to the king who suspected her of infidelity. It is said stars appeared around his head as he hit the water.
The last picture is another one of the bridge statues. To my knowledge, this is the only crucifix anywhere that includes Hebrew writing. I leave it to you Hebrew scholars to translate. I suspect our Jewish friends are not pleased by this.Leer más