Bridges in Prague
Many of the approximately 180 bridges in Prague are significant in terms of art history. The following list contains a selection of the existing and former Prague bridge structures.
Vltava bridges
There are 15 large Vltava bridges (Czech most = bridge) in the inner city of Prague. Downstream (from south to north) these are:
Barrandovský most
Built between 1978 and 1988 (part of it opened to traffic in 1983), length 350 meters. Motorway bridge on the southern bypass of Prague, between the districts of Hlubočepy (left) and Braník (right), below the Barrandov district with its famous film studios. Named after the district that bears the name of the geologist, paleontologist and engineer Joachim Barrande .
Železniční most (railway bridge)
Built 1900–1901 in place of a single-track bridge with 5 arches from 1871. Railway bridge of the Bohemian Western Railway (direction Pilsen ), between the districts of Nové Město (New Town) (old district of Vyšehrad ) and Smíchov . Length 300 meters in three steel girder arches.
Palackého must
Built 1876–1878, length 228 meters. Road bridge between the Nové Město and Smíchov districts . Named after the historian and politician František Palacký (1798–1876).
Jiráskův most
Built 1929–1933, length about 250 meters. Road bridge between the Nové Město and Smíchov districts . At first it was called Dienzenhoferův most , after 1945 it was renamed after the writer Alois Jirásek (1851–1930).
Barrandovský most
Železniční most pod Vyšehradem
Palackého must
Jiráskův most
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Most Legií (Bridge of the Legions)
Built 1899–1901 in place of a suspension bridge from 1840/41 ( Franz-I. -Brücke). Length about 360 meters. Road bridge between the district boundary Staré Město (old town) / Nové Město (new town) and the district boundary Smíchov / Malá Strana (Lesser Town) . Leads across the island of Střelecký ostrov (Rifle Island ) .
The bridge was built in honor of the Czechoslovak Legions , which were formed during the First World War in Russia, France and Italy from the Czech and Slovak deserters from the Austrian army and volunteers with the aim of fighting the Central Powers on the Entente side , named (so renamed after the formation of the ČSR , again after 1945 and again after the political change in 1989/90).
Original name Franz-I. Bridge (also Franzens Bridge), during the Protectorate Smetana Bridge and in the period of socialist rule since 1960 Bridge of May 1st .
Charles Bridge
The road bridge between the Lesser Town and the old town is only open to pedestrians, although it has also been used by the horse-drawn tram since 1883 and by the electric tram for a short time at the beginning of the 20th century (this was recognized, however, as a threat to the static stability of the historical building, afterwards buses operated until the 1960s). Nevertheless, getting through on foot is not always easy, because the bridge is one of the most famous and most visited sights in the city.
Charles IV laid the foundation stone of the Charles Bridge on July 9, 1357 at exactly 5:31 a.m. - the ruler had astrologers calculate the best time for the ceremony. The stone bridge in Regensburg served as a model . It was built on the spot where the stone bridge from the 12th century, which was previously built by order of Judith von Thuringia and which was destroyed by the Magdalen flood in 1342 , stood. The 28-year-old Peter Parler was commissioned with the construction . It has a length of 516 meters and a width of about 9.50 meters. Its 16 bridge arches rest on 15 pillars . In order to make them stronger this time, the mortar was allegedly enriched with eggs. It was originally called the Stone Bridge or Prague Bridge. The name Charles Bridge has only been known since around 1870.
In the baroque in particular , numerous figures of saints were erected on the bridge, by Matthias Bernhard Braun (Matyáš Bernard Braun) and the Brokoff family . The best known is the memorial of St. John Nepomuk , who, according to legend, was thrown into the Moldau from this point at the behest of Wenceslaus IV , since, relying on the confessional secret, he did not reveal the contents of the confessions of his wife wanted to.
At the eastern end of the bridge is the Old Town Bridge Tower with the slightly more than life-size fully plastic seated figures of Emperor Charles IV and his son Wenzel IV as well as Saints Vitus, Adalbert and Sigismund on the city-side passage. The figurative decorations were only added in the 1480s. Originally the west side of the tower was also decorated. It probably showed a picture of the Madonna flanked by Karl and his wife Elisabeth von Pomerania, but this was destroyed by the bombardment of the Swedes in the Thirty Years' War and then removed.
The Lesser Town Bridge Tower on the west side was built in the 15th century under King George of Podebrady as a counterpart to the Old Town Bridge Tower (probably on the site of an older Romanesque tower). The corresponding crenellated gate had a decorative function from the start. It is flanked on the left by a smaller tower that goes back to the former Lesser Town fortifications and then the Judith Bridge (12th century).
The Charles Bridge is one of the oldest preserved stone bridges in Europe and also forms an open-air gallery of Baroque sculpture (some copies, originals in the lapidarium of the National Museum).
Old town end of Charles Bridge
Charles Bridge at night
Lively (tourist) activity on the Charles Bridge
Mánesův most (Mánes Bridge)
Built between 1911 and 1914 next to a pedestrian suspension bridge ( Rudolfsteg , dismantled after the bridge was completed), length 186 meters, 16 meters wide. Road bridge between the Malá Strana and Staré Město districts . Named after the painter Josef Mánes (1820–1871). It was originally called the Franz Ferdinand Bridge.
Čechův most
Built 1905–1908 in Art Nouveau style with rich symbolic ornamentation, the first built in the 20th century, with a length of 170 meters the shortest Vltava bridge in Prague, 16 meters wide. Road bridge between the Malá Strana (Lesser Town) / Holešovice district boundary and the Staré Město district (former Josefov district ). Named after the poet and writer Svatopluk Čech (1848–1908). The original wooden paving (unique, but very slippery when wet) was replaced by an asphalt paving during an extensive renovation in the 1970s.
On the left-hand side of its axis on the Letenský Vrch hill stood a monstrous Stalin memorial , unveiled after three years of construction in 1955, i.e. two years after Stalin's death, blown up in 1962; this area with two viewing platforms still bears the name of the dictator in the vernacular. For the 3rd anniversary exhibition in 1991, the oversized movable plastic metronome was installed on the upper platform as a symbol of the passing of time (only in operation at times).
Next to the bridgehead on the left upstream is the chapel of St. Mary Magdalene , which was moved 31 meters in the course of the terrain adjustments in connection with the construction of the Stalin monument, the first significant building relocation in the country.
Georg Bendemann, sentenced by his father to the “death of drowning”, jumps from this bridge in Franz Kafka's short story “The Judgment” (1912). Back then, Kafka lived in the “Zum Schiff” house on the spot where the Hotel Continental is now.
Štefánikův most
Built 1948–1951 as the Šverma Bridge ( Švermův most / Most Jana Švermy ) in place of a suspension bridge (Franz Joseph Bridge, from 1919 Štefánikův most , dismantled after the Second World War), length 263 meters. Road bridge between the Holešovice and Staré Město districts . On the left side, a road tunnel leads under the Letná hill .
Since the important communist resistance fighter Jan Šverma, who perished during the Second World War, fell into disrepute after the political change in 1989/90, together with all symbols of the country's communist past, the bridge was renamed Štefánikův most in 1997 , just like the old bridge on it Position had been named.
Hlávkův most
Built 1908–1912 in place of a wooden walkway , thoroughly rebuilt and widened 1958–1962, around 400 meters long. Road bridge between the Holešovice and Karlín districts . Leads across the island of Štvanice . Named after the important architect and patron Josef Hlávka (1831–1908), designed by Pavel Janák . The bridgehead on the left is lined by two striking sculptures by the sculptor Jan Štursa .
Štefánikův most
Hlávkův most
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Negrelliho viadukt (also: Karlínský viadukt)
The Negrelli Viaduct is a railway bridge on the north (towards Dresden ) and west (towards Kladno ) between the districts of Holešovice and Karlín (Karolinenthal). It was part of the project for the Vienna – Prague – Dresden railway line in the Karlín district . It is also the second oldest existing bridge in Prague.
The building was decided in 1842, and the emperor Ferdinand I granted permission on November 26, 1842. The bilateral agreement between Austria and Saxony had been ratified by the end of the year. The Tyrolean geometer and engineer Alois Negrelli , a specialist in building mountain roads and railway lines in the Austrian and Swiss Alps, began construction . The route itself was designed by the engineer Jan Perner . Construction of the railway bridge began in the spring of 1845, and large areas of Karlín became a major construction site. The required material was transported on the river and processed on site. After the construction work was completed in 1849/50, the imposing bridge over Karlín was reminiscent of old Roman aqueducts . With its length of 1,111 meters and 87 high arches, it was one of the unique pieces at the time. At the beginning there were still houses near the railway, in front of whose windows the trains passed. As the number of businesses grew, workshops and small factories began populating the land under the bridge. In order to meet the need for increased traffic flow capacity on the left bank of the Vltava, some arches were demolished in the 1980s. From the end of 2017 to May 2020, the viaduct was restored for 1.96 billion crowns.
Libeňský most (Lieben Bridge)
Built 1924–1928. Road bridge between the districts of Holešovice and Libeň , length 400 meters (including the access ramps much longer on both sides), width 21 meters. Formerly crossed the island of Libeňský ostrov ( Love Island , now partially filled in).
Holešovický železniční most (also: Železniční most pod Bulovkou)
Railway bridge of the inner-city railway connection from the 1970s between the districts of Holešovice and Libeň ( Holešovická přeložka ).
Most Barikádníků (Bridge of Barricade Fighters)
Built in 1928, reopened to traffic in 1980 after thorough renovation, length about 200 meters. Road bridge between the Holešovice districts and the Troja / Libeň district boundary . Named in honor of the fighters who were exposed to heavy fighting on this bridge in May 1945 during the Prague Uprising.
Before 1945 it was called Trojský most after the right-hand part of the city Troja , which it connects with the more centrally located urban areas.
Trojský most
The Trojský most (Troja Bridge) was built in 2010-2014 as a network arch bridge. It is part of the Prague inner ring (Městský okruh), which is currently under construction, and provides the connection between the districts of Holešovice and Troja . It is a combined tram and tram bridge with four lanes for car traffic and two tracks for the Prague tram. The bridge is a total of 262.1 meters long and 36 meters wide. The arch span is 200.4 meters.
Northern part of the Negrelliho viaduct
Libeňský most
Železniční most pod Bulovkou
Most barikádníků
Trojský most
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Former bridges
Juditin most (Judith Bridge)
As early as 1107, Cosmas reported on "Saturday markets" in Prague. This lively market activity also led to the establishment of the new central market - today's Old Town Square. The resulting increased traffic between the Lesser Town and the old town soon required better traffic connections.
A wooden bridge existed only a little north of today's Charles Bridge in the late 9th or early 10th century, which was destroyed by floods in 1157. At the behest of his wife Judith of Thuringia , King Vladislav II had a new stone bridge built in her place. The construction - the second oldest stone arch bridge in Central Europe - was completed between 1158/1160 and 1172 (depending on the source).
It was supported by 21 vaults on 20 hexagonal pillars over a length of 514 meters and a width of 7 meters. On the Lesser Town, it was completed by a pair of towers, of which the smaller (southern) one has survived to this day as one of the two Lesser Town bridge towers. On the old town side, a through tower was built at the monastery of the Crusaders with the Red Star (see: Kreuzherrenkirche (Prague) ), who received toll privileges and maintenance obligations for the bridge at the same time.
An arch and pillars of the Judith Bridge can be seen in the museum of the Kreuzherrenkirche. This makes it one of the few bridges from which the remains of the Romanesque period have been preserved. After it was destroyed by a flood with massive ice drift in February 1342, which destroyed it in three places, it became King Charles VI by resolution (1357). replaced a few meters upstream by the Charles Bridge .
Prašný most (powder bridge)
Built in 1530 over the Jelení příkop (deer moat, the northern moat), connected the Prague castle with the castle garden. Destroyed in the Thirty Years War , later replaced by an embankment.
Franz Joseph Bridge / Eliščin most (Elisen Bridge) / 1. Štefánikův most
Chain bridge with cast iron pylons and inclined chains made of steel elements according to the system of Rowland Mason Ordish , built 1865–1868, also called Eliščin most (Elisenbrücke, after Franz-Joseph's wife Elisabeth "Sissi" ), after the tragic death (plane crash) of Milan Rastislav Renamed Štefánik , the companion of T. G. Masaryk in the struggle for the independence of the Czechoslovak Republic and later Minister of Defense in 1919 in Štefánikův most . 1940 after the composer Leos Janacek in Most Leoše Janáčka renamed. In 1898 it had to be reinforced in its midfield and the original chains as supporting elements had to be replaced by wire ropes. At that time it was the largest cast iron structure in Prague. Closed to general traffic in 1941, completely dismantled in 1947. Since 1951 it has been replaced by the Šverma Bridge ( Švermův most / Most Jana Švermy ), now again called Štefánikův most .
Most elektrické dráhy (also: Trojský tramvajový most; tram bridge)
Originally built in 1977, renovated in 1981/82, about 200 meters long. The tram bridge between the boroughs of Holešovice and Troja , intended as a provisional replacement for the connection that had been lost due to the construction work on Most Barikádníků , had to repeatedly struggle with problems of static stability.
The truss bridge , built from prefabricated elements, was demolished in 2013. The Trojský most , which opened in October 2014, has two tram tracks and four lanes and replaces the Most elektrické dráhy.
Rudolfssteg
Trojská lávka
The 256 meter long Trojská lávka (Trojaer pedestrian bridge) linking Troy to the Imperial Isle . It was built to replace a pontoon bridge that was destroyed by floods in 1981 and opened on July 7, 1984. It was a tension band bridge with a polymer concrete covering, which was unusual at the time . On December 2, 2017, the structure collapsed, probably as a result of corrosion of the tensioning cables. The rubble was removed and a ferry connection was set up to replace it.
Viaducts
Nuselský most
Built 1965–1973, 485 meters long, 40 meters high. Road (city transversal) and underground bridge over the Nusle Valley (Nuselské údolí) with the Botič brook , between the districts of Nové Město and Nusle , Pankrác area . The lane is reserved for road traffic. The metro runs inside the bridge tube that supports the carriageway.
The bridge was already under construction when it was decided to use metro trains of Russian construction with a 50% higher axle pressure instead of a tram or a subway of Czech construction. It was therefore necessary to strengthen the tube: a steel grating weighing 822 tons was installed, which absorbs the forces of the track and transfers it to the side walls.
Bridges on the outskirts of Prague
After the last territorial reform in 1974, the following bridges belong to the city of Prague, which were not at the time of their construction:
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Most Závodu míru (Peace Bridge)
Road bridge over the Vltava between the former municipalities of Zbraslav and Závist , about 8 kilometers south of the Barrandov Bridge , built in 1964 in place of an iron bridge from 1896 . After the incorporation of these two villages, it is today (seen downstream) the first Vltava bridge in Prague's urban area. Length 204 meters, arched span 86 meters, road about 12 meters above the river surface. A leg of the legendary bicycle race Friedensfahrt led them to open it.
Lahovický most
Motorway bridge over the Berounka tributary of the Vltava River between the former municipalities of Velká Chuchle and Lahovice about six kilometers south of the Barrandov Bridge.
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Branický most (Most inteligence / Bridge of Intelligence)
For strategic reasons, the little-used railway bridge over the Vltava between the former municipality of Malá Chuchle and the Braník district , about 2 kilometers south of the Barrandov Bridge, with a subsequent 400-meter-long tunnel, was built in 1955 . Length with land part about 800 meters.
During the construction of this bridge, intellectual workers were used to a considerable extent, who were forcibly assigned to physical-industrial work by the communist regime as part of the “ proletarianization ” of society . Furthermore, there are said to have been serious mistakes in the construction of the building compared to his project. In memory of the injustice to the Czechoslovak intelligentsia, which was expressed through such operations, as well as out of irony regarding the futility of this project in several respects, this bridge is popularly called Most inteligence (Bridge of Intelligence).
literature
- Dušan Josef: Encyklopedie mostů v Čechách, na Moravě a ve Slezsku . Prague 1999, ISBN 80-85983-74-5 .
- František Kašička: Charles Bridge. Charles Bridge. Ponte Carlo. Prague 1992, ISBN 80-206-0282-8 .
- Karel Neubert, Ivo Korán, Miloš Suchomel: Charles Bridge . Prague 1991, ISBN 80-900763-1-9 .
- Jaroslava Staňková, Jiří Štursa, Svatopluk Voděra: Prague. Historical travel guide. Eleven centuries of architecture . Emphasis. PAV publishing house, Prague 1996, ISBN 80-900003-3-9 .
- Václav Ledvinka, Jiří Pešek: Prague . Nakladatelstvi Lidonve Noiny, Praha 2000, ISBN 80-7106-462-9 .
Web links
- Panorama of the Charles Bridge
- Structurae: Prague - Civil Engineering and Architecture Guide
- Dušan Josef: Encyclopedia of Bridges in Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia (in Czech)
- Austerlitz and 10 bridges in Prague
swell
- ↑ Negrelli viaduct in Prague to undergo extensive reconstruction , Český rozhlas, September 27 2016th
- ↑ The trains are running again ...
- ^ Günter Dorner: New construction of the Troja bridge in Prague. In: Bridge Construction. Issue 3/2014, pp. 14-17 (digitized version)
- ^ William Humber: A Complete Treatise on Cast and Wrought Iron Bridge Construction ; Description of the Francis Joseph Bridge (Franz-Joseph-Brücke), pp. 258-259. Lockwood & Co., London 1870. Digitized on Google Books
- ↑ Trojská lávka , virtualni.praha.eu, accessed on December 5, 2017.
- ↑ Pontonový most místo zřícené trojské lávky nebude, nejde o katastrofu , novinky.cz, December 5, 2017.
- ↑ Pavel Fojtík: (nejen) čtvrtstoletí Pražského metra. Prague 1999.