The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1891-08-15
AN HISTORIC BRIDGE.
Tho Karlsbruoke of Prague and
Its History.
For Centuries 1t Has Spnnnci the Mol
dau, but Recent Floods Have Rem
dcred It's Destruction
Necessary.

| short time ago tho dispatches
| stated that the famous KarlsbruclSc, or
Charles bridge, across the Moldau at
Prague was doomed to destruction by
| the great floods which have been ere
ating such havoc in central Europe.
| The paragraph was brief one and
| probably attracted little attention, but
no one who knows the pride with
which for hundreds of years the Dohe-
mians have regarded this bridge could
read the few lines without n thrill of
sympathy.
To write n history of the Karlsbruclc,
says the Chicago Post, would be to
write the history of Prague during the
past five centuries. This, indeed, were
we'll worth the doing, for though the
old world is rich III historic cities, few
are more interesting than this wonder
full old town with it's stately buildings,
it's quaint old houses and beautiful
gardens, and its memories of illustri-
Gus men and wolnen-of Uuss and
Wallcnstein, of Maria Theresa and her
iriplacablc enemy, Fredc rick the Great.
How many times those and others
scarcely less famous have passed to and
fro over the KarlsbruclSc.
Prague was the favoritc city Of that
splendid monarch, Charles w, 1.-The
stcpfathcr of the empire, but the father
of Bohemia" lie established her celc-
brated university and bcautificd the
town il many ways, besides laying the
foundation OF the Karlsbrucl1c in 1857.
For one hundred and fifty years the
work went on, and when finally com
plcted, in 1907, it was justly regarded
IS Il triumph of the engineering skill of
the age.
Even to-day few bridges are worthy
of more admiration than the old
Kcrlsbrucllc with its grand old Gothic
tower and its sixteen noble arches
spanning the beautiful Moldau. AS
time went on statues and groups OF
figures were placed on tho buttrcsses
of the bridge. The oldest of these, y
large stone crucifX with images OF tho
Virgin and st. John, was built with
money wrung from the Jews. Short
services were occasionally held before
the cruciiX.
Another curious group, showing the
suffering souls II purgatory, commcm-
Grated the dreadful visitation of the
plague. But the most interesting OF
the statues is that of st. John of Ncpo-
AAt'N3 SliS lttioti VI anu tIlO
saint whom all Prague delights to
honor. St. John, SO the legend tells us,
was the confessor of the lovely queen
| of bohemia and refused to reveal the
secrets Of the confessional to her jcal-
GUS husband. The cruel Wenzel COM
mandcd him to be tortured, and after
ward he was thrown from the Karls-
bruckc at night into the rushing Mol
dau. Whcrcupon the body of the good
priest, instead of sinking, continued to
float until taken from the water, while
| five brilliant stars lowered over it. The
statue represents an ascctic figure hold
ing n crucifiX, and around the head are
arranged the five miraculous stars.
Ono fingers longest near the fine old
tower ut the entrance to the bridge. If
by some spell like that used in the
Arabian tale we could unseal the lips
of the sculpturod figures who look
down SO calmly from their lofty station,
what tragic tales they could tell of the
many times the tide of battle has surgcd
across this bridge. During the stormy
days Of the thirty years war it was the
scene OF many conflicts, ard for ten
years the heads CT twelve of Dohcmias
Protestant MOBILES swung in iron cages
from the tower. Later, the citizens OF
Prague rallied to its defense against
the Swcdcs and held it for three long
mouths. till the peace of Wcstphalia
ended the war When Frederick the
Great invaded bohemia it was the scene
of bloody struggle, and rs lately us
the revolution of 1S4S q famous barri-
cadc was built there by the students.
But the days of the Karlsbruclzc arc
numbered. Recently three of its arches
were carried away by the swollen river
and the collapse of fourth little
later renders its destruction inevitable.
Begun as the night of the middle ages
was beginning to roll away and finished
in the dawning light of the reformation,
the old bridge falls just rs the twcnti-
| eth onnfI,i-n, nnnnc hnforo tho ,1-c,,.ll