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Old Town Bridge Tower

The Old Town Bridge Tower (Staroměstská mostecká věž) is a Gothic tower with a gateway at the eastern, Old Town end of Charles Bridge. It stands on the first pier of the bridge.[1] The Royal Route passes through it.[2]*

History

The tower was built to a design by Peter Parler, whose stonemasons' workshop was called in by Charles IV.[1][2] Construction probably began shortly after the foundation stone of the bridge was laid in 1357. The ground floor was completed after 1373 and the upper floor around 1378.[3] The stone gallery was built after 1515.[4] In 1621 the heads of twelve executed leaders of the Estates' uprising were displayed on the tower. They remained there for more than ten years.[2] In 1648 Swedish artillery damaged the west front with its Gothic sculptures. Carlo Lurago and Giovanni Battista Spinetta repaired it in the 1650s.[2][4] Further damage came in 1848. In 1874–1880 Josef Mocker repaired the tower to his own designs, and Petr Maixner painted the passage.[4]

Decoration

The east front is divided by cornices into three zones. In the middle zone stands a statue of St Vitus, patron of the bridge, between the seated figures of Charles IV and Wenceslas IV. The upper zone holds statues of St Adalbert and St Sigismund.[1] Above the gateway are the coats of arms of the lands ruled by Charles IV.[2] The statues were made in 1380–1400. In 1978 they were replaced by copies in artificial stone, and the originals are in the lapidarium of the National Museum. In autumn 2006 the copies were replaced by new ones in Hořice sandstone.[2]

Access

A spiral staircase of 138 steps leads to the viewing gallery. The gateway passage is 8 m wide.[2] The tower is opened to the public by Prague City Tourism.[2] The Heritage Catalogue of the National Heritage Institute lists it as part of the national cultural monument Charles Bridge with its sculptural decoration.[3]

Sources

  1. Magistrát hl. m. Prahy (Praha virtuální)
  2. Prague City Tourism (prague.eu)
  3. Národní památkový ústav (Památkový katalog)
  4. Národní památkový ústav (Památkový katalog)

* The sources are collected and the preliminary text of this entry is drafted with artificial intelligence, on the instruction of the editorial staff; the entry has not yet been verified by an editor — report a mistake.