Czech Republic - Charles Bridge 查理大橋

 

Stamp Issue : 1949-09-01  



 

Stamp Issue : 1950-11-03  



 

Stamp Issue : 1957-02-23 

Charles Bridge (Karlův most) is a famous historical bridge that crosses the Vltava river in Prague, Czech Republic. Its construction started in 1357 under the auspices of King Charles IV, and finished in the beginning of the 15th century. As the only means of crossing the river Vltava (Moldau), the Charles Bridge was the most important connection between the Old Town, Prague Castle and adjacent areas until 1841. This "solid-land" connection made Prague important as a trade route between Eastern and Western Europe. The bridge was originally called the Stone Bridge (Kamenný most) or the Prague Bridge (Pražský most) but has been the "Charles Bridge" since 1870.
The bridge is 516 meters long and nearly 10 meters wide, resting on 16 arches shielded by ice guards. It is protected by three bridge towers, two of them on the Lesser Quarter side and the third one on the Old Town side. The Old Town bridge tower is often considered to be one of the most astonishing civil gothic-style buildings in the world. The bridge is decorated by a continuous alley of 30 statues and statuaries, most of them baroque-style, erected around 1700.
During the night the Charles Bridge is a quiet place. But during the day it changes its face into a very busy place, with painters, owners of kiosks and other traders alongside numerous tourists crossing the bridge.

查理大橋是捷克共和國首都布拉格市內，一座跨越伏爾塔瓦河的著名的歷史橋樑。它由查理四世始建於1357年，完成於15世紀初。直到1841年，作為跨越伏爾塔瓦河的唯一橋樑，查理大橋是聯接老城與布拉格城堡及鄰近地區最重要的通道，也使得布拉格成為東西歐之間重要的貿易通道。該橋最初稱為「石橋」或「布拉格橋」，直到1870年才命名為「查理大橋」。
查理大橋長516米，寬約10米，16個橋拱，兩端有3座橋塔，其中兩座位於布拉格小城一側，一座位於 布拉格老城一側。老城橋塔經常被認為是世界上最令人驚訝的世俗哥德式建築之一。該橋上安放有30座雕塑，其中多數為巴洛克風格，豎立於1700年前後。
在夜間，查理大橋是一個非常寧靜的地方。但是在日間，卻搖身一變，成為一個熱鬧的地點，無數的遊客經過此橋，身旁是畫家、商亭主人和其他商販。