Charles Bridge Statues Walking Tour:

8b. Charles Bridge Statues:  The most charming thing about the Saint Charles Bridge is its 30 beautiful statues that give the Old World bridge a very Gothic appeal.  As Prague’s main bridge in the Middle Ages, the City added the statues starting in 1683 as a way to show Prague’s power and sophistication.  As beautiful as they are, the original statues were all moved to the Czech National Museum in 1965 to preserve them and were replaced by near-perfect replicas.  While each statue is interesting, let us give you a brief overview of the main highlights in the order you’ll see them.

The first major statue you’ll see is the Lamentation of Christ which sits where a large wooden cross once stood before it was wiped out by the 1496 flood.  The statue shows Virgin Mary and Mary Magdalene mourning a fallen Jesus beneath a resurrected Jesus and cross.  Sitting directly across from the Lamentation, the Crucifix and Calvary statue is one of the most photographed ones on St Charles Bridge.  It shows a large crucified Jesus flanked by the Virgin Mary and John Evangelist and details with golden Latin symbols.

One of our favorite statues is the one of Saint John the Baptist holding a golden cross and pointing the way down Kings Road.  It’s fitting that the St John statue is here as prior to it there was a different one showing the baptism of Jesus.  This is a great photo opportunity with the mighty Prague castle in the background that you just can’t pass up.  If you are really into photography consider getting to the bridge during the early morning fog while the street lamps are still on or closer to dusk when St Charles is void of tourists and had perfect lighting.

Halfway down the bridge, you’ll see a rod iron marker between two statues indicating the spot where the Catholic Martyr Saint Neopomuk was drowned in the Vltava River in 1383.  Neopomuk refused to give secrets from the Queen’s confessions to the King he had promised to stay silent on and was sentenced to death.  Legend says that as John died 5 stars appeared around him representing Tacet, the Latin word for silence.  The 5 stars have since become the symbol for the St John of Neopomuk and appear not only above his head on the plaque but also on the decorative cross marking his death on the railing.  It is said that if you make a wish with your fingers touching all 5 stars of the railing cross at once it will come true.  Notice the cross’ polished appearance from all the daily rubbing?  Next to the marker is a much large statue of Saint Neopomuk, complete with a 5-star halo and two additional panels of scenes from his life you can rub for good luck.  This is also a very popular place for visitors to leave love locks on the railing of the bridge.

Directly across from Saint Neopomuk was originally a statue of Saint Wenceslas which was replaced by one of his grandmother Saint Ludmila after it fell into the river.  Ludmila is depicted teaching her young grandson, and future King, to read the bible.  Future down is another statue featuring a woman called the Dream of St. Luthgard which was sculpted by the famous artist Matthias Braun in 1710.  It is one of the bridge’s only marble statues and shows the vision the Catholic nun Luthgard had of Jesus coming off the cross and her kissing his wounds.

The John of Matha, Felix of Valois, and Saint Ivan statue is the largest and most expensive statue on the bridge.  It shows John and Felix, who was known for buying and freeing Christians in captivity by non-Christians.  Below the statue is a grated cave with 3 slave Christians inside praying for Salvation.  Just across the bridge is the statue of the Roman Saint Vitus which shows lions approaching to get him before he was martyred for his faith.  The huge cathedral at Prague Castle was also named in Vitus’ honor.

At the very end of the bridge where the Saint Wenceslas (Patron Saint of Prague) statue sits today, there were actually little permanent Medieval houses in the 1500s including Prague’s Customs Office.  In 1714 this also became the spot for Prague’s 1st cafe when a Syrian coffeemaker saw the opportunity to bring his Middle Eastern delights to the city.  His Turkish coffee was a huge hit and he quickly expanded from his small merchant cart to a wooden shack at the end of the bridge called the Kafírna Cafe.  From the wooden shack, he expanded again into the larger living quarters of the Customs Office.  Imagining what the bridge was like during merchant days really helps to give the Medieval feel.

9. The Devil’s Stream (Čertovka): While crossing Kampa Island on St Charles Bridge, the view to the South called Devil’s Stream is a favorite among photographers.  The brightly colored house clings to the edge of the curved canal before disappearing around the corner.  Legend has it that the man-made canal got its name from a mean lady who lived on it in the 1600s.  Local kids thought she was wicked and they painted 6 devil figures on her door.  The house then became known as At the Seven Devils with 6 on the door and the mean lady being the 7th.  Photos of the Devil’s Stream are amazing from St Charles Bridge at dusk right when the street lamps start to reflect on the water.  There are a bunch of ghost walking and boat tours that highlight different ghosts said to haunt the stream after dark.  You will get a close look at the canal at the end of this walking tour.

10. Lesser Town Bridge Towers: Out of all the large Medieval towers around Prague, the Lesser Town Bridge Towers are by far our favorite.  As you walk the last leg of the St Charles Bridge, it is easy to be drawn to the mighty twin towers like a magnet.  The smaller of the two, known as Judith Tower, was built into the Lesser Town wall as its main gateway back in 1158.  Shortly after the tower was built the Judith Bridge was also completed to connect Lesser Town to Old Town Prague.  The Judith Bridge was ruined by flooding in 1342 before being replaced with St Charles Bridge, but the Tower remained strong.  For the next 250 years, Judith Tower’s basement was turned into a high-security prison until the build was converted into a customs house in 1591 and turned into its current Renaissance style.  The old customs house still sits right next to Judith Tower and holds one of the Tower’s original Gothic reliefs from the 1300s showing a man kneeling at the throne and getting a gift from the King.

Directly connected to Judith Tower by an arched walkway, the nearly 150-foot-tall Lesser Town Tower was built by King George of Podebrady in 1464.  King George was already in the middle of greatly expanding Prague Castle at the time and wanted Lesser Town to have a mirror image of Old Town’s bridge tower which was completed 91 years earlier.  We love this tower and urge you to check out its gallery and exhibit about towers located 85 feet up a fight of steps.  Make sure to actually pass through the tower gateway and check out the banners hanging on the other side.  Each banner is from a country that Bohemia ruled under the reign of King Wenceslas IV.

11. Míšeňská Street: As you leave the Lesser Town Bridge Towers toward Míšeňská Street consider taking a food break at one of the charming outdoor restaurants.  Also, make sure to inspect the Four Maidens Statue street lamp in the middle of the road.  We love walking just past it and taking photos of the lamps with the huge medieval tower in the background.  After turning onto Míšeňská Street you’ll notice it is kind of like the land-based version of the Devil’s Stream with tightly packed colorful following a curved cobblestone lane.  If you place your camera right at ground level you can get an excellent photo down the unique lane complete with the detail of the cobblestones.

At the very end of Míšeňská Street, consider popping into Vojan Park if the gate is open.  The Park was built for the monastery of the Order of the Carmelitans in the 1200s making it one of Prague’s oldest parks.  In 1660 they added the small, black cave-like St. Elias Chapel which is kind of cool.  Near the Westside of the park the Church of St. Joseph at Lesser Town was built in 1686 for the women of Carmelites Convent.  The park is one of the oldest in Europe as it was formed in 1300.

12. Pissing Fountain: Our favorite modern element in Prague is artist David Cerny’s Pissing Fountain at the Franz Kafka Museum.  The fountain features to bronze male figures peeing into a pool in the shape of the Czech Republic.  The figures’ hips swivel while their man parts move up and down allowing them to write messages in the pond with their pee.  The standard streams of water write quotes from famous Prague residents, but you can have them write your message too.  If you text a message to (+420) 724370770 the statues will spell it out with their pee which is quite amusing.  The artist David Cerny has many playful statues around Europe including huge babies climbing the largest TV tower in Prague.  Another popular installation of Cerny’s is at Prague’s Future Art Museum and is made of 2 large bodies bent over spreading their cheeks.  You can climb a small ladder and peek into the butts at artistic videos playing inside.

Opening Hours: Daily 10am-6pm.  Museum Entrance Fee: 200 CZK Adult, 120 CZK Students & Seniors, 540 CZK Family Ticket.  You can usually see the Peeing Statue in the courtyard without paying to go into the museum.  Website: (HERE).

13. Na Kampě Street: At the foot of St Charles bridge, the main curved road with colorful houses called Na Kampě Street (On Kampa) is a favorite among photographers.  The street is especially beautiful as lamps light it at night and over the holiday season when it is filled with Christmas carolers.  During the day there are a number of small outdoor restaurants with plenty of shade to rest your feet.

14. Liechtenstein Palace: The small Liechtenstein Palace looks pretty basic, but it dates back to 1696.  Look above the door at the amazing stone coat of arms of the Princely House of Liechtenstein made in the 1800s.  Sitting directly across from the Palace is the Embassy of Estonia inside the House At Blue Fox built in 1605.  The door of the Embassy has a weird image above it with a Blue Fox holding a red rose in its mouth below a baby Jesus.  If you wish to explore the Kampa Island future the Modern Art museum is pretty good, open daily from 10am-6pm, and costs 160 CZK.

15. Love Lock Bridge: One of the most lasting activities to do while traveling with your loved ones is to leave a Love Lock.  Throughout Europe, there are several bridges where tourist leave paddle locks before throwing the keys into the River as a sign of their love lasting forever including this small bridge in Prague.  The railings actually fill up so fast that the city ends up having to occasionally remove the locks because of how heavy they get.  Some local residents don’t like the practice as they see it as an eyesore, but we find it to be very enjoyable.  Overall cities like Prague and Paris have before seemed to embrace the trend as you will even see some tourist stands selling locks.  We suggest bringing your own ahead of time and writing either your initials or a warm message on the lock before placing it.

16. Grand Priory Water Mill (Velkoprevorský mlýn): Opened in 1597 to replace a previous mill, the Grand Priory Water Mill got its name because it was owned by the Knights of Malta.  While this is 1 of the only 3 mills still remaining on Kampa Island, originally there were dozens lining the canal.  For the most part, the entire island was only mills and gardens until homes started popping up in the 1600s.  This mill was sold by the Knights in 1795 it ran the longest before finally closing in 1936.  Probably the coolest feature of the old water mill is its creepy-looking Water Sprite figure at the foot of the dock.  This Water Sprite is from a Solvac fairytale and a common guarding among mills in Medieval Prague.  It is said that fishermen would toss a little tobacco into the water as an offering for good luck from the pipe-smoking sprites.  If the mills really interest you, consider heading to the Mlyn Hut on the Southwestern corner of the island which was part of a smelter mill when it was made in the 1400s.

17. John Lennon Wall: You might think that Prague is a strange place for a huge graffiti wall memorial for the former Beatles member John Lennon, but it is actually the perfect place.  When Lennon was murdered in 1980 his songs and messages of freedom struck home with the youth of Prague who was smothered by oppressive Communist rule.  It didn’t take long for young people to start painting this wall with messages of peace, hope, and freedom in protest of their Communist rulers.  Since Prague’s citizens weren’t even allowed to listen to Pop music you can understand there was a very high risk of getting arrested while painting the wall.  The movement grew and grew until finally in 1989 the non-violent Velvet Revolution ended the Communist rule in Czechoslovakia and led to Democracy.  Today the same Knights of Malta that once owned the Grand Priory Mill, now own the Wall and support preserving it.