Silver medal Charles bridge proof

Charles Bridge is the oldest bridge spanning the Vltava River in Prague and the second oldest preserved bridge in the Czech Republic. It was the fourth stone bridge structure built in Bohemia – following after the Judita’s, Roudnický and Písecký bridges.

Charles Bridge replaced the Judita’s bridge that was destroyed in spring 1342 during the ice thaw. Construction of the new bridge began in 1357 under the auspices of Charles IV and was completed in 1402. Until 1841, when Emperor’s Franz Josef bridge was finished, the Charles Bridge was the only bridge connecting the Old Town and the Lesser Quarter in Prague (excluding ferries and fords). Thanks to the stone bridge, among other things, Prague became a popular stop on European trade routes.

Gradually, the bridge was adorned with thirty statues and statue groups. Its original name, Kamenný (Stone), or Prague Bridge, was changed no sooner than after 1870 on the basis of an initiative by poet and writer K. H. Borovský.

The obverse side of the medal features the bridge and the Lesser Quarter bridge towers connected by a gothic gate and the text Charles Bridge. The coat-of-arms on the upper side contains the Czech lion - it is one of the coat-of-arms that decorate the gate from the side of the bridge.

The reverse side is decorated by another coat-of-arms, the Moravian eagle, part of the bridge and the Old Town bridge tower, as well as the text “650 let od založení“ (650 years from the foundation“).Built by the design of the bridge builder Petr Parléř the Old Town tower ranks among the most spectacular medieval towers in Europe.