OLD TOWN BRIDGE TOWER

Description

Essentials about the Old Town Bridge Tower in brief

Built in the 14th century, the Old Town Bridge Tower is one of the most impressive Gothic buildings in Prague and one of the most photographed motifs of the Czech capital. This is certainly due to the central location of the Gothic gate tower, which no visitor to Prague can pass by. On the one hand, the Old Town Bridge Tower represents the gateway into the old town of Prague and was designed as a symbolic triumphal arch that the Bohemian kings had to pass through on their royal way. On the other hand, as the name suggests, the tower marks the eastern end of the world-famous Charles Bridge.

The history of the Old Town Bridge Tower

The Old Town Bridge Tower was built as part of the new construction of the Charles Bridge between 1370 and 1380. Since Emperor Charles IV wanted to set an impressive sign of his power with this building, none other than the famous master builder Peter Parler was entrusted with the realization of the tower. The Old Town Bridge Tower is certainly one of the most important works of the master builder and is not without reason considered one of the most beautiful towers in Central Europe.

The bridge tower is located exactly above the first bridge pier on the old town side on the bank of the Vltava River. Remains of the tower structures of the previous bridge have been integrated into the cellars of the neighboring buildings. The tower rises about 40 meters above the roadway of the bridge.

During the siege of Prague by the Swedes in the Thirty Years’ War, the Old Town Bridge Tower was shelled from the Prague Malá Strana in 1648 and as a result the facade decoration on the west side was destroyed. The eastern facade has been preserved over the centuries. At the end of the 19th century the tower received its current roof.

The architecture of the Old Town Bridge Tower

The bridge tower is of art-historical importance because of the larger-than-life sculptures of Emperor Charles IV and his son Wenceslas and St. Vitus at the level of the second floor above the archway. Immediately above the wide archway, the coats of arms of all the countries that belonged to the Bohemian Kingdom at the time of the bridge’s construction, the coat of arms of the Roman emperor, the coat of arms of the Bohemian king and a kingfisher surrounded by a veil (a symbol of Wenceslas IV) are carved in sandstone. On the third floor there is a shield with an eagle and a lion. The upper part of the facade is decorated with statues of St. Adalbert and St. Sigismund.

The view from the Old Town Bridge Tower

If you want to enjoy an incomparably beautiful view of Prague’s old town, Charles Bridge and the Vltava River, as well as Prague’s Malá Strana and Prague Castle on the other side of the river, you should definitely climb the nearly 140 steps to the observation deck of the tower.