170 years ago, Prague had only one bridge over the Vltava

Prague - For many centuries, there was only one bridge over the Vltava in Prague - Charles Bridge. The next crossing of the river occurred only in 1841 when the predecessor of the current Legií Bridge was opened. Currently, the metropolis has 18 bridges over the Vltava and several footbridges and small bridges. 160 years ago, on June 1, 1850, the Karlín Viaduct (also known as the Negrelli Viaduct) was put into operation in Prague, the first railway bridge over the Vltava, connecting Masaryk Station through Štvanice Island with Bubny.
    Since about the 10th century until almost the mid-19th century, there was only one bridge in Prague over the Vltava, Charles Bridge and its predecessors. From 1841 to 1869, three suspended chain bridges were built over the Vltava (the predecessors of the current Legií Bridge, Štefánik Bridge, and Mánes Bridge). The imperfection of the construction and the expansion of traffic caused that two of them were demolished as early as 1898-1914, and the last one in 1947. After the mid-19th century, two railway bridges were also opened, the Negrelli Viaduct and the Railway Bridge at Výtoni.
    Prague now has over 250 various bridges, footbridges, or viaducts; there are 18 bridges over the Vltava, including 11 road bridges, four railway bridges, two footbridges, and one tram bridge. The shortest bridge in Prague over the Vltava is Čechův Bridge at 169 meters, while the longest is the Negrelli Viaduct at 1110 meters. This record - as well as the record for the longest bridge in the Czech Republic überhaupt, which has been held since October 1998 by the Doksany Highway Bridge over the Ohře (1183 meters) - is set to be surpassed this year by the crossing of the Vltava and Berounka valleys at the Lahovická Estakáda, which is set to measure 2055 meters.

Overview of the 18 Prague bridges over the Vltava (sorted chronologically by the year of construction of the bridge or the joining of the district with the bridge to Prague):

1) Charles Bridge (eighth bridge from the south; for pedestrians):
Predecessors: Already in 935, there was apparently a wooden bridge in Prague, as it is mentioned in connection with the transport of Prince Václav's body from Old Boleslav to Prague. Another wooden bridge is mentioned in 1118, but it was destroyed by flood in 1157. It was replaced by the stone Judith Bridge, built between 1158-1172 by Czech King Vladislav I and named in honor of his wife Judith of Thuringia. The bridge was destroyed by a flood in February 1342.
Current bridge: The cornerstone of Charles Bridge (initially called Prague or Stone Bridge; from 1870 named Charles Bridge) was laid by Charles IV on July 9, 1357, at 5:31 AM. The bridge was completed in 1402, although some sources consider its definitive completion to be June 22, 1503, when its thorough reconstruction ended.
    
2) Legií Bridge (seventh from the south; road and tram):
Predecessor: On the site of the current Legií Bridge stood the second Prague bridge over the Vltava, the Emperor Francis I Bridge, also known as the Chain Bridge, since November 6, 1841. It was built starting in 1839 and got its name after the former Emperor Francis I. The bridge ceased operation in 1898, and a temporary wooden bridge was built in its close vicinity.
Current bridge: The construction of Legií Bridge began on August 3, 1898, and the new bridge was ceremoniously handed over for operation on June 14, 1901, in the presence of Emperor Franz Joseph I. From 1919 to 1940, it was called Legií Bridge, from 1940 to 1945 Smetanův Bridge, and after World War II, it again became Legií Bridge, from 1960 to 1990 it was named May 1 Bridge. Since March 1990, it has again been called Legií Bridge.
    
3) Negrelli Viaduct (thirteenth from the south; railway):
The first railway bridge over the Vltava is the longest bridge in Prague (1110 meters) and the second oldest currently standing Prague bridge over the Vltava (after Charles Bridge). The bridge was constructed from spring 1846, completed in 1849, and put into operation on June 1, 1850.
    
4) Štefánik Bridge (eleventh from the south; road and tram):
Predecessor: The fourth Prague bridge over the Vltava was the suspended chain bridge of Emperor Francis Joseph I, popularly known as Eliška's Bridge after the emperor's wife Elisabeth. It was built from 1865 and opened on May 13, 1868. The bridge, which was called Štefánik Bridge from 1919 to 1940, then for five years Leoš Janáček Bridge, and in the years 1945-1947 once again Štefánik Bridge, was dismantled in 1947.
Current bridge: Štefánik Bridge has stood here since September 19, 1951, when it was known as Švermův Bridge. The old name has been in use since 1997.
    
5) Mánes Bridge (ninth from the south; road and tram):
Predecessor: From November 28, 1869, there stood the third suspended chain bridge over the Vltava, the Iron Footbridge (also called Rudolf's or Chain Footbridge) for pedestrians. The footbridge served without significant repairs until March 1914.
Current bridge: Mánes Bridge was built in close proximity to the Iron Footbridge. It was constructed from 1911 and opened on March 11, 1914. Until 1920, it was called Archduke Franz Ferdinand d’Este Bridge.
    
6) Railway Bridge at Výtoni (fourth from the south; railway)
Construction of the bridge began in August 1870 and traffic was started on it on August 15, 1872. The bridge was initially single-tracked. The replacement of the old single-track bridge with a new double-track one was carried out in September-October 1901, and the first trains passed over it on the night of October 1-2, 1901.
    
7) Palackého Bridge (fifth from the south; road and tram):
The last new bridge over the Vltava in the 19th century was the stone Palackého Bridge, which started construction in May 1876. The bridge was opened on December 22, 1878, and from 1940 to 1945 it was named Mozart's Bridge.
    
8) Libeňský Bridge (fourteenth from the south; road and tram):
Predecessor: A temporary wooden bridge that served at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries during the construction of Legií Bridge was built here in 1903.
Current bridge: Construction of the Libeňský Bridge began at the end of 1924, and it was opened to the public on October 29, 1928. The bridge changed names over the years: Libeňský Bridge (1928-1938), Baxův Bridge (1938-1940), again Libeňský (1940-1945), again Baxův (1945-1952), then Stalingrad Bridge (1952-1962), and from 1962 to the third Libeňský.
    
9) Čechův Bridge (tenth from the south; road and tram):
The Art Nouveau Čechův Bridge was built between 1905-1908 as a direct result of the demolition of the former Jewish Town, and it was put into operation on June 6, 1908. The shortest bridge in Prague (169 meters) was known as Mendel's Bridge from 1940 to 1945.
    
10) Hlávkův Bridge (twelfth from the south; road and tram):
The reinforced concrete Hlávkův Bridge was built in two stages, between 1909-1912, and was opened on February 6, 1912. It has not been renamed since its inception.
    
11) Barikádníků Bridge (sixteenth from the south; road):
Predecessor: The original reinforced concrete Troja Bridge was built from 1926 and opened on October 29, 1928, the same day as Libeňský Bridge. Thus, Prague gained two important transportation structures on that day. Since 1946, it has been named Barikádníků Bridge. The bridge served traffic until 1977.
Current bridge: The Barikádníků Bridge was built from 1972 and was handed over for use on November 28, 1980.
    
12) Jirásek Bridge (sixth from the south; road):
Construction of the bridge began in spring 1929. It was partially one-way opened in December 1931 and completed on October 27, 1933. From 1940 to 1945, it was named Dientzenhofer Bridge.
    
13) Branický Bridge (second from the south; railway):
The first bridge opened after World War II was the railway Branický Bridge, popularly known as the "Bridge of Intelligence" because many members of the so-called intelligentsia who were forced to take up working-class and helper professions in the 1950s worked on its construction. It was built between 1949-1955, and railway traffic began using it on May 30, 1964. It was officially named in 1969.
    
14) Závodu míru Bridge (first from the south; road):
The fourteenth bridge over the Vltava was acquired by Prague through administrative intervention when Zbraslav was joined to the capital in 1974. The original iron Zbraslavský Bridge stood on the site of the current Závodu míru Bridge and was built as early as 1896. In 1964, it was replaced by a new reinforced concrete bridge, built slightly lower down the river. Its first users were cyclists from the Závodu míru.
    
15) Holešovický Railway Bridge (fifteenth from the south; railway):
The bridge, often also referred to as the Railway Bridge under Bulovka, was completed in 1975 and put into operation in December 1976. The unusual aspect of the bridge is its diagonal, as it crosses the river at a 45-degree angle.
    
16) Trojský Tram Bridge (seventeenth from the south; tram):
Traffic on the bridge began on May 5, 1977, and it was repaired in 1980-1981.
    
17) Barrandov Bridge (third from the south; road):
The bridge, which is the largest bridge structure in Prague, began construction in May 1978, the southern half was opened on September 20, 1983, and the grand opening of the entire bridge was on November 3, 1988. Until 1990, it was named Antonín Zápotocký Bridge.
    
18) Trojská Footbridge (eighteenth from the south; for pedestrians):
The most recent crossing of the Vltava in Prague is the suspended Trojská Footbridge for pedestrians. It was opened on July 7, 1984, on the site where a temporary pontoon bridge had stood since 1976, which was swept away by a flood in July 1981.