660 years ago, the cornerstone of today's Charles Bridge was laid

Prague - 660 years ago, the foundation stone of today's Charles Bridge was laid, according to legend, by Emperor Charles IV. The date and time were chosen deliberately, as it represented a sequence of odd numbers that was believed to be lucky according to numerology. The stone was laid in 1357, on July 9th at 5:31. This information was shared with reporters this morning by Prague's councilor for culture, Jan Wolf (KDU-ČSL). Today, people could attend two guided tours of the bridge and five boat trips along the river with explanations about the Charles Bridge.

In addition to the sequence of numbers, the date was also chosen with regard to the positions of the planets. All known planets at that time were above the horizon, and the Sun, Mercury, and Saturn were in mutual conjunction. The Sun was in the ascendant of the Leo sign, which is the heraldic symbol of the Kingdom of Bohemia. The bridge is also astronomically connected to Prague Castle and St. Vitus Cathedral. At the time of the summer solstice, when viewed from the Old Town Bridge Tower, the Sun sets behind St. Vitus Cathedral.

The construction of the bridge is also linked to the legend of St. Wenceslas. After St. Wenceslas was murdered, his body was transported across the river. However, according to legend, the horses refused to cross the turbulent river, so people prayed for intervention from the deceased prince. The waters calmed, and the horses crossed. In the spot where they stopped, the people of Prague erected a wooden pillar with an image of St. Wenceslas. "The foundation stone of the bridge should be located right here," said Jan Zemánek, head of the bridge department at the Technical Administration of Communications, during a tour for reporters this afternoon.

After the stone bridge was built, the wooden St. Wenceslas column was replaced with a stone one. "In 1676, the column, designed by Jan Jiří Bendl, was moved about ten steps from there because it was in the middle of the road and obstructed traffic," Zemánek described. It currently stands at the corner of Křížovnické Square near the Church of St. Francis of Assisi.

Originally, the Judith Bridge stood at the site of the stone bridge. "The new stone bridge also had commercial significance, as a trading route ran through Prague from west to east," explained Wolf. "Prague was one of the small towns that lacked trade when Charles IV arrived. By the end of his life, it was the third largest city in Europe. Without the stone bridge, this would certainly not have been the case," he added. The bridge has only been called Charles Bridge since the mid-18th century.

The historical bridge is being continuously repaired. "In 2015, an examination of the pillars of Charles Bridge was conducted. It was found that they are in very good condition. However, it turned out that the outer cladding is not holding," said the councilor. He mentioned that discussions are currently underway about how to further repair the bridge. Different types of sandstone were previously chosen, which drew criticism from some experts. Soon, the repair of the bridge arches on the Malá Strana side is anticipated.

Celebrations began today at 6:31 AM, one hour later due to the introduction of daylight saving time, with a fanfare played by trumpeters from the gallery of the Malostranská Bridge Tower. Then the bridge was blessed by Marek Pučalík from the Order of the Knights of the Cross with Red Star. The Knights have been responsible for Prague's bridges since the Middle Ages, collecting tolls and maintaining them.

The public could today take advantage of guided tours of the bridge with a guide. The first tour began at 6:31 AM during the opening speeches, and another is scheduled for 8:00 PM. Five boat rides with a guided commentary were also prepared for free. People had to register in advance for them, and all places were booked.