Charles bridge
... a medieval stone arch bridge that crosses the Vltava river... Its construction started in 1357... and finished in the early 15th century.
As the only means of crossing the river Vltava until 1841, Charles Bridge was the most important connection between Prague Castle and the city's Old Town. This land connection made Prague important as a trade route between Eastern and Western Europe.
The bridge is 516 metres long and nearly 10 metres wide... it was built as a bow bridge with 16 arches shielded by ice guards. It is protected by three bridge towers... The bridge is decorated by a continuous alley of 30 statues and statuaries, most of them baroque-style, originally erected around 1700, but now all have been replaced by replicas.
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27 crosses
... in 1618... Protestant uprising... against the Catholic Habsburgs resulted in Thirty Years' War... Habsburgs took their revenge and executed some of the key leaders of the uprising...
... the execution of 27 Bohemian leaders (three noblemen, seven knights and 17 burghers) of the Bohemian Revolt by the Austrian House of Habsburg that took place on 21 June 1621 at the Old Town Square in Prague.
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Memorial to the Victims of Communism
Increasingly decayed figures stand as a powerful reminder of the human costs of Czech Communism.
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Our Schengen visa is valid until 29 August. We will cycle through Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary to make use of it. Then enter Romania and spend the next few months in the non-Schengen / Balkan states. We will pull together what we need for the Romanian visa and apply in Bratislava as we plan to depart Prague tomorrow.