The bridge is 621 metres ( 2,037 ft ) long and nearly 10 metres ( 33 ft ) wide , following the example of the Stone Bridge in Regensburg , it was built as a bow bridge with 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 , originally erected around 1700 but now all replaced by replicas .

Question: what type of bridge is the charles bridge
Answer: a bow bridge