The Charles Bridge is a famous is a stone Goth­ic 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, the Charles Bridge was the most impor­tant con­nec­tion between the Old Town and the area around Prague Cas­tle.

This con­nec­tion made Prague impor­tant as a trade route between East­ern and West­ern Europe. Today it is one of the most vis­it­ed sights in Prague with painters, own­ers of kiosks and oth­er traders along­side numer­ous tourists cross­ing the bridge.