12 Things You May Not Notice on Charles Bridge
I’m a licenced guide in the city and my clients can take advantage of my knowledge of Prague but in this post I thought I’d share some facts about the Charles Bridge several of which don’t appear in guide books probably because they don’t have the space or didn’t think it was worth it. I’m not even going to mention any of the movies filmed here. So here are 12 Things that You May Not Notice on Prague’s Charles Bridge walking onto the bridge from the Old Town side.
1 – The World War Two Memorial
On the Old Town side as you walk towards the gate tower there is a statue of Charles IV. Behind the statue on the railing is a memorial plaque to the youngest recorded victim of the Prague Uprising in May 1945 called Pepik Smejkal. He died on the afternoon of May 9th making him one of the last civilians to be killed in World War Two. He was accidentally shot by a Soviet soldier.
2 – The Street Lamps
Prague first had gas lighting in 1847 operated by a private company and today the lamps on Charles Bridge are gas-lit. The design of all historic lamps in the city comes from the first gas lamp network run by the city from 1867.
3 – The Special Number
Many of the gas lamps on the Charles Bridge have a six digit number and in fact, every street lamp in the city should have a unique number. If you have to call the emergency services and they ask you where you are then give the number on the nearest lamp and they’ll have your GPS location.
4 – The Jewish Text
The third statue on the right is a cross, it’s called the Holy Crucifix and Calvary. The Hebrew text was added in 1696 as a Catholic punishment for a local Jew and it should read “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Hosts”. However, the “God” part was deliberately changed for the word “Jehovah” (under the left arm) but Jewish people are not allowed to say that word and so it was incorrectly spelled by extending the last character. This is also the widest part of the Charles Bridge.
5 – Linkin Park (ST Anne)
The next statue on the right is ST Anne who was the mother of the Virgin Mary. In the Linkin Park video for “Numb” the girl is frequently seen drawing this statue.
6 – The Broken Bridge
With the statue of ST Anne on your right, the next three spans of the Charles Bridge were destroyed by the 1890 flood.
7- The Newest Statue
The next statue on your right after ST Anne is ST Cyril and ST Methodius. The original statue in this location was ST Ignacius but this was destroyed by the 1890 flood. It was replaced in 1938 by the statue you see now.
8 – The Double Appearance
Carrying on across the Charles Bridge you pass John the Baptist (carrying the cross) and the next statue on the right is of three men (pictured). These are ST Wenceslas (on the left), ST Norbert and ST Sigismund. ST Wenceslas is the only saint to appear twice on the bridge (he’s also the last statue on the left as you reach the end).
9 – What’s Lucky on Charles Bridge?
Further on your right on the wall you’ll find a piece of wrought ironwork decoration. The wrought ironwork is not lucky. Beneath the ironwork embedded in the wall of the Charles Bridge is a 5 pointed cross that marks the spot where Jan Nepomuk was thrown from the bridge in 1393. Look for the metal stud in the ground in front of the cross. It is an energy point. You must stand on the metal energy point at the base of the wall as you touch the cross and make a wish. It may bring good fortune and means you will someday return to Prague.
10 – The Bronze Statue Brass Plates
Two lamp posts further along on the right you find a green statue, this is Jan Nepomuk. After the Holy Crucifix and Calvary, Jan Nepomuk was the second figure to be added to the Charles Bridge in 1683. It is also the only statue on the bridge to be made from Bronze. There is NOTHING lucky about the statue, pedestals or plaques which tourists frequently touch.
11 – The 31st Statue
Guidebooks will say that there are 30 statues on the Charles Bridge. Actually that’s just on the parapets. The 31st stands away from the parapet although it is still built on the bridge. Opposite Jan Nepomuk and walk until you reach the house. Now look over the parapet to your left and on the bridge pier is another statue. This is a knight called Bruncvik who replaced an even earlier figure called Roland. The statue in this place was always there to show people crossing the bridge that the Old Town had the right to charge a toll for the crossing. Bruncvik is not a saint and he is the only one of the main characters on the Charles Bridge who did not exist in real life.
12 – Out of Alignment Gate Towers
You might not have noticed but whereas the gate tower on the Old Town side faces the bridge, the gate towers on the Lesser Town side face away to the left. There was an older bridge in this location called the Judith Bridge. On the Lesser Town side although the Charles Bridge begins in the same place as the Judith Bridge when it reaches the Old Town side it is approximately 100 metres to the right of where the Judith Bridge used to stand.
Something Related or a Few Minutes Away
Attractions – The Iconic Charles Bridge
Attractions – The Jan Nepomuk Statue
Attractions – Holy Crucifix and Calvary
Films and Videos – Linkin Park
Films and Videos – Mission Impossible 1996