Prague in Plain Sight #3 - Čechův most (Čech Bridge)

Even someone who has never set foot in Prague is probably familiar with the Charles Bridge either from postcards or photos, but if not, from its starting role in a number of films, most famously Mission:Impossible, but also Yentl, Van Helsing and The Omen. Of course, its iconic status and fame mean it is often almost impassable except early in the morning or late at night.

Prague boasts eight other bridges across the Vltava between Florenc in the North-east of the city and Vyšehrad to the South, and of these three are more suitable crossing places for someone on a mission or in a hurry. My personal favourite is Čechův most (Čech Bridge) which provides a link between Pařížská třída and the embankment running under the Letná hill and the steps leading up to the metronome.

View across the Vltava with the metronome in the background

Čechův most was built between 1905 and 1908 based on plans by the architect Jan Koula along with designers George Soukup, Vaclav Trča, Francis Mencl. At 169m in length and 16m wide, it is the shortest bridge in Prague.

It also has a protected status as the only Art Nouveau style bridge in the Czech Republic. It is constructed on stone pillars and the arches are made of iron. The original roadway was wooden but this was replaced in 1961 because it became very slippery in the wet. There have been a number of reconstructions, including a major one in 1971/5. Between 1984 and 87 all the sculptures on the bridge were repaired.

Torchbearer on the west side of the bridge

There are a large number of wonderful ornamental features in bronze and iron including torchbearers, six-headed hydras and at each end of the bridge, a pair of 17.5m tall columns support bronze figures of Victory designed by Antonín Popp.

        

One of the Victory figures

Detail of a ram's head on the bridge

                

The bridge was named after the writer Svatopluk Čech, who died just after construction was completed. During the Nazi occupation between 1940-45, it was renamed the Mendel Bridge (after Gregor Mendel, the German geneticist).

Next time you happen to be crossing the river at that end of the city, take a moment or two to appreciate the amazing attention to detail on Čech most.