Prague’s Charles bridge is the main attraction in this medieval city. Few have heard of its predecessor and fewer have heard about the stories behind it. This article delves into the myths and mythology about the Judith bridge.

Introduction

Bridges were always an important part of a city’s infrastructure. Bridges facilitated trade and movement. Cities could control the entry points, and levy taxes on people arriving and leaving. Since the technology to build solid bridges only matured in the 18th century, any bridge which stood the test of time became special. This is why many tourist attractions focus on bridges around the world.

Prague is no exception.

The centre of Prague’s tourist zone is the magnificent Charles bridge which I’ve often written about. Tourists who take a guided city tour may remember talk of the Judith bridge, which is the predecessor to this magnificent structure. Since the bridge collapsed in the 13th century, there aren’t many records about it. This has led to so many conspiracy theories and legends about it. I wanted to separate face from fiction so I researched the details behind it.

I also wrote about the Charles Bridge and the superstition around its construction.

Facts

The Judith bridge was the first stone bridge across the Vltava¹. The city built it out of sandstone² in 1172³ during the reign of King Vladislav II, and named it after his wife¹, Judith of Thuriniga³. Before it existed, pedestrians used flimsy wooden footbridges vulnerable to bad weather¹.

It was a Romanesque bridge with twenty arches and was lower than the Charles Bridge is today¹. This was one reason why it collapsed³ – it was too low to be safe – and that is also why the Charles Bridge is higher. It also was longer than the river’s width because it curved³. This could have been as a defensive mechanism.

On the right bank, within Prague’s Old Town, the fabulously-named Knights of the cross with the Red Star managed a hospital right beside the bridge¹. They moved into their church and buildings in 1252, and these still exist today. Part of their responsibility was to manage Judith bridge and collect tolls¹. This means the bridge was a source of revenue for the Knights and for the hospital¹.

The church beside this hospital may have influenced the design of a Roman landmark.

A huge flood on 3 February 1343³ damaged the bridge beyond repair.

The newer bridge was not aligned with the Judith Bridge, so bits of the old bridge are still visible today:

1. The smaller of the two towers on the left-bank, i.e., the Mala Strana side, is called the Judith tower. This tower was the entrance to the Judith Bridge³.
2. Some arches and stone remains are inside existing buildings, like the basement of the Hotel Residence Lundborg. If you go to the restaurant, you’ll see the stonework by the entrance³.
3. One arch is underneath the square on the right bank³ and one of the river tour companies uses it as a dock.
4. Divers have seen remains on the river bed on several occasions³. They’ve studied and analyzed the remains to better understand the Judith Bridge.

Loose legends and curious questions

The list below is a collection of legends or myths. Unless some unknown manuscript reveals some secret, we may never know if these are true or not.

1. Queen Judith had a hand in designing the bridge⁴. There is no evidence to suggest she had an architecture background, but that’s not to say she was stupid. She did seem to be responsible for overseeing the construction too.

2. There is no record of the architect who designed this bridge⁴. It is possible the King invited someone to Prague for this purpose. There are suspicions this could be an Italian architect⁴, because stone bridges already existed in Italy.
3. Contemporary documents don’t mention the bridge much. This is also unusual⁴. If you built the first stone bridge over a river in your main city, wouldn’t you discuss this at length? Visitors would have marvelled over it, and many city-based activities would have taken place near or around it. Why is it not mentioned more?
4. The 13th bishop of Prague had seen stone bridges in Italy and convinced the King to build one of stone³. People were already building with stone so changing from wood to stone did not need any outside influence.
5. People re-used the debris from the damaged bridge to build their own houses¹. This is not as unusual as it sounds because people often re-used masonry and material from damaged buildings to build others.

Castle Valečov is another Czech building which is notable because it’s built of stone.

References

1. anon. (2023). The History and Mysteries of the Judith Bridge. [online] Prague Morning. Available at: https://praguemorning.cz/the-history-and-mysteries-of-the-judith-bridge/ [Accessed 30 Jul. 2024][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩]
2. www.muzeumkarlovamostu.cz. (n.d.). Karlův most | Muzeum Karlova Mostu. [online] Available at: https://www.muzeumkarlovamostu.cz/cz/historie/karluv-most [Accessed 30 Jul. 2024][↩]
3. www.expats.cz. (2022). On this day in 1342: Prague’s medieval Judith Bridge collapsed. [online] Available at: https://www.expats.cz/czech-news/article/on-this-day-the-medieval-judith-bridge-collapsed-in-1342[↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩]
4. anon. (2023). The History and Mysteries of the Judith Bridge. [online] Prague Morning. Available at: https://praguemorning.cz/the-history-and-mysteries-of-the-judith-bridge/ [Accessed 30 Jul. 2024][↩][↩][↩][↩]

Remember: links were correct at time of publication.