Travels of de Bourgogy-Ottier 6 Countries (XVII) Czech Republic: Charles Bridge in Prague, Old Town

Charles Bridge in Prague

Tyne Church in Prague's Old Town

On the afternoon of July 2, 2017, we continued our tour of Prague's Charles Bridge and the Old Town. The bus driver dropped us off on the side of the road near the Manes Bridge, where we got off the bus and began an afternoon of walking.

We came to the Manes Bridge, overlooking the fence, the two sides of the river are picturesque.

Along the east bank of the river, as you walk, you can see the spire of St. Vitus Cathedral on the opposite hill, the walls of the old castle and the shore are clearly visible. On the Vltava River, cruise ships slowly sail by, and tourists on the ships wave at us enthusiastically.

We approach the Charles Bridge, by which stands a bronze statue of Joseph Manes, who is hailed as the great pioneer and founder of modern Czech painting.

We came to the café on the south bank of the Charles Bridge, from which we can clearly see that the Charles Bridge is a magnificent stone bridge, the bridge is crowded, and at intervals, there is a statue; there is a round arch bridge hole under the bridge, and the boats shuttle back and forth. Looking east, the building is brightly colored and beautiful, and from the map, it looks like a nightclub.

The Charles Bridge spans the Vltava River, with Prague's Old Castle District and the Old Town at its ends. With its long history and architectural art, it is one of the most famous monuments in Prague. It is the oldest bridge in Europe and was built by the Praguers on the Vltava River 650 years ago. It was once a must for kings to be crowned and paraded.

The tower at the eastern end of charles bridge, called the Old Town Bridge Tower, also known as the "Powder Tower", was built in the late 14th century and is considered one of the most beautiful secular Gothic buildings in Europe. The ancient city emblems and splendid sculptures on the bridge tower are full of history and solemnity.

Pass through the tower door opening and up the Charles Bridge. The Charles Bridge is 516 meters long and 9.5 meters wide, with a total of 16 piers, and the bridge deck is made of brick and stone, without a single nail or wood. Standing on the bridge, you can enjoy the view of the Manes Bridge and the two sides of the river in the distance.

On both sides of the Charles Bridge, every 20 meters, there are a group of statues and group statues, a total of 30. Most of the statues are based on the Bible and folklore, the characters are mostly Catholic saints and protectors, with statues of goddesses, warriors, human-faced beasts and animal-faced figures, etc., with different shapes and lifelike forms, all from the masterpieces of Czech Baroque masters from the 17th to 18th centuries. Charles Bridge is thus known to Europeans as "Europe's open-air Baroque art gallery". Most of the existing statues on the bridge have been replaced by replicas, the original of which is preserved in the museum.

On the bridge, you can watch the performances of street artists, and some painters set up stalls to draw sketches or cartoons for tourists.

On the bridge, tourists are bustling and bustling. Here, if you want to take a photo, you will take a group photo, because there are always many "extras" next to you.

Walk to the west of charles bridge and see two bridge towers. The lower ones were built in the 12th century and the older ones were built in the second half of the 15th century, both inheriting the architectural style of the Old Town Bridge Tower.

Through the bridge tower gate hole, you will reach the west bank of the river. The buildings here are also quaint and full of historical vicissitudes. The old street is bustling with activity. There are street performers performing, and a girl holding a bamboo pole in one hand is suspended in the air, which is amazing.

Because we also want to visit Prague's Old Town, we returned from the western end of the Charles Bridge to the eastern end of the Charles Bridge. Through the tower gate of the Old Town Bridge, you can see the Church of the Savior opposite. It was built in 1578 as the largest Jesuit church in the world and one of the early Baroque buildings in Prague and is considered the most valuable monument.

The Crusader Square at the eastern end of the bridge is small, and on the north side stands a bronze full-body statue of Charles IV, with a seated statue on each side of its pedestal, which is said to represent medicine, philosophy, fairness, and faith. Behind the statue is the Charles Bridge Museum.

Leaving the Crusader Square, we crossed the narrow streets and stepped into the old town. Walking in these small streets and alleys, you can feel the romantic feelings and artistic atmosphere of the Prague people everywhere, and you can always see the exquisite reliefs on the street buildings, as well as the puppets and crafts placed in front of the roadside shops.

It didn't take long for us to reach old town square (also known as Prague Square). Located between Wenceslas Square and charles bridge, it is crowded with tourists all year round. Here, you can admire the surrounding buildings of various styles, including the Gothic style Tyne Church, the Baroque St. Nicholas Church, and when you watch the famous astronomical clock and fixed time on the old town hall bell tower, you can also sit in the surrounding open-air cafes and slowly taste.

Tyne Church is the most striking and oldest building on the Old Town Square and a Prague landmark. Its predecessor was built in 1135, and the Gothic building seen now was built in 1365 and is known for its sharp-angled twin-tower architecture, decorated with a round rod of pure gold at the top, with a total height of about 80 meters. Because of its shape, it resembles the devil's castle in a fairy tale, so it is called the "Devil's Church" figuratively.

St. Nicholas' Church belongs to the Hussian church, is a representative of baroque architecture in Prague, originally built in the 13th century, is part of the Benjik monastery, for simple Gothic architecture; only in the 18th century was rebuilt into baroque style, adding a 74-meter-high Baroque onion head bell tower, forming a round and two-pointed tower top, making its unique appearance extremely eye-catching, coupled with ornate carved columns, bronze roof, making it stand out among the many buildings around the Old Town Square.

The Old Town Hall was once the first building in Prague to symbolize the city's autonomy, and after centuries of expansion, its most prominent part is the Gothic tower completed in 1364, with a medieval astronomical clock, making it a popular tourist attraction.

On the old town square, there is a statue of Huss. Huss, a pioneer of the Reformation, was formerly president of Charles University in Prague, who had translated the Bible into Czech and was dissatisfied with the Catholic Church and intended to promote reform. The Pope burned him to death on charges of heresy. He became one of the first to dedicate himself to the Reformation, greatly influencing martin Luther and others.

As per the itinerary, we entered the Bohemian crystal shop opposite the Old Town Hall for a visit. Crystal, glass and ceramic dolls and utensils here are colorful, exquisitely shaped and well-made, but the price is not cheap, it is inconvenient to carry, and tourists do not buy much.

We also walked around the streets near the square and saw many buildings with different styles, as well as many souvenir shops.

There's a charity sale going on here, where you can spend some change, buy a few rectangular pieces of wood, draw your favorite paintings with colored pens, or write the words you want to write.

This is Wenceslas Street, a bustling commercial street with beautiful buildings on both sides. At the end of Wenceslas Avenue stands a statue of a king of Wenceslas holding a battle flag. In the nearby Wenceslas Square, an important page in Czech history was opened. In 1969, a university student set himself on fire here to protest the trampling of Prague by Warsaw Pact tanks; in September 1989, a mass rally here triggered the "Velvet" Revolution. Due to time constraints, we did not visit in the past.

It's nearly 5 p.m., and visitors gather in front of the Old Town Hall Clock Tower to watch a punctual chime performance. The bell tower was built in 1410, and the four sculptures on the outside of the building and the 12 apostles inside the building are still in their original form. The astronomical clock, also known as the "Prague Astrological Clock", is divided into two clock plates, the upper clock circumnavigates one year, and the lower clock orbits one day.

At 5 o'clock, the pleasant bells and music sounded, the god of death on the bell pulled the bell rope, the small windows on both sides of the angel opened, the 12 disciples of Jesus appeared in turn, bowed to the people, 6 turned left, 6 turned right, with the chirping of the rooster, the small window closed, the clock sounded, and the last sound passed, and the chime ended. During the whole process, tourists are staring at it with relish. However, compared to the big bell performance in Munich's new town hall, it is much inferior in scale, time and excitement.

Our dinner was arranged in the cellar restaurant on Prague Square. Descend the steps and walk inside, where the lights are dim and the walls are covered with multiple deer heads, antlers and animal skins. Suddenly, a brown bear appeared in front of him, grinning his teeth, but don't be afraid, this is just a specimen.

We entered a larger room, where the whole group sat down at two tables, and found many swords and axes hanging on the walls around us, as if to suggest that there was a long history here.

The roast duck came up, a big plate, one for each person! Half a duck, roasted soft and delicious, with sweet and sour golden melon shreds lying underneath, hot and soft steamed bun slices with sauce, the taste is great! Beer comes up, each person a piercing of the world-famous Czech beer, black beer or white beer to choose, a hundred smell is not as good as a taste!

Today's dinner is the last meal of our six-country trip, even in the Czech Republic and Prague. Because the trip went smoothly and everyone was in a good mood, they frequently touched glasses, ate duck meat in large chunks, drank beer, combined with each other, took a group photo, and spent a pleasant night.

In the evening, we checked into the Corinthia hotel in the Vyšehrad region of Prague. When we entered the room, we dropped off our luggage and found it a commanding location to look out over Prague's Old Town. At this time, the sun has set, but the Prague district under the sunset is still colorful and colorful.

What we didn't expect was that the next morning, we saw the brilliant sunrise outside the window, saw the dazzling gold edge set by the clouds by the morning sun, and enjoyed the charming scenery of Prague in the early morning under the glow of the Wanzhangxia! All this has brought our trip to the 6 countries to a successful conclusion. In the morning, we set off to return to China, flew back to Beijing, and returned to our warm home (end of the whole article)

Note: The pictures in this article are all taken by the author.