"Old Town" & Charles Bridge

CHARLES BRIDGE
Prague’s oldest bridge was built to replace the Judith Bridge that had been badly damaged by floods in 1342. Construction of the new bridge, originally called Stone Bridge or Prague Bridge, began in 1357 under the auspices of Charles IV and was finished in 1402.

Since 1870 the bridge over Vltava River has been called Charles Bridge. It is built of sandstone blocks, flanked at each end by fortified towers (Lesser Town Bridge Towers, Old Town Bridge Tower). From 1683 to 1928, 30 statues of saints were carved to decorate the bridge.

Palindrome
The Charles Bridge was not "opened" on a single day but its construction began with the laying of the first stone at 5:31 a.m. on July 9, 1357, at the direction of Emperor Charles IV. Charles IV, a believer in numerology, chose this date and time because the sequence of odd numbers: 1357 (year) 9 (day) 7 (month) 5:31 (time), which by the way, forms a palindrome, which he believed would give the bridge strength (prior bridges had been flooded out). 1-3-5-7-9-7-5-3-1

Charles Bridge Guarded by 30 Statues:
One of the interesting Statues is The Calvary Sculpture (see photo):
The sculpture from the 14th Century was the last item to be installed before the bridge’s opening, as a key sculpture for those to always see the crucifix when crossing the famous bridge. The statue and cross surrounded by sculptures evolved and was changed many times over the centuries. It is surrounded by the Hebrew words קדוש קדוש קדוש יהוה צבאות (Holy, Holy, Holy is Jehovah of hosts) from Isaiah 6:3. Sadly put there to embarrass Jews, one of the stories, is that in 1696, a Jewish communal leader named Elias Backoffen was forced to pay for the inscription after being accused of blasphemy. This prayer is very meaningful to all religions.

Interestingly, on the “Lord God of Hosts” section of the Hebrew text on the cross there is one character which is upside-down. The א aleph (letter) in the word "Tzva’ot" is backwards, as the letter was removed by the Nazis during the occupation of Czechoslovakia, and later mis-placed after the war. In response to petitions from North American Rabbis regarding the inscription, in 2009, explanatory plaques were added in English, Czech and Hebrew.

In Judaism, the Kedushah, the solemn Hebrew prayer incorporates verses from the Book of Isaiah, the Book of Ezekiel, and Psalm 146. In the silent Amidah part of Kedushah the prayer incorporates this important line. Liturgically for Christians this line is in the Sanctus and Benedictus at the Eucharist. This statue now becames a monument of the horrors of antisemitism and continues to be a great symbol of reconciliation according to the Bishop in Prague.Read more