The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1891-08-07
AN HISTORIC BEIDuE.
The Karlsbrucke OF Prague and
Its History.
Esr Csutntse. 1t Has SPAWNED the Mol-
.A..s, but Recent Floods Bsvs Rem
,iered Its Ds-travtion
Nece-sary.

A short time ago the dispatches
stated that the famous Karssbruche. or
Charles bridge. across the Moldau at
Prague was doomed 20 destruction by
the great floods which have been ere
atiag such havoc in central EaroPe.
The paragraph was brief one and
probably attracted little attention, but
no one who knows the pride with
which for hundreds of years the 5ohe-
rnians have regarded this bridge could
read the few lines without thrill OF
sympathy.
To write history of the Karlsbrueke,
saws the Chicago Post, would be TO
write the history of Prague during the
past five centuries This. indeed, were
well worth the doing. for though the
old world is rich in historic cities, few
are more interesting than this wonder
ful old town with its stately buildings,
its quaint old houses and beautiful
gardens, and its memories of lllustri-
Gus men and women-of Huss and
Wallenstein, of Marin Theresa and her
implacable enemy, Frederick the Great.
How many times those and others
scarcely less famous have passed to and
fro over the Karlsbrucke.
Prague was the favorite city OF that
splendid monarch, Charles ", the
stcpfather of the empire, but the father
of Bohemia" He established her cele-
brated university and beautified the
town in many ways, besides laying the
foundation of the Karlsbrucke in 1857.
For one hundred and fifty years the
work went on. and when finally com
pleted. in 1907. il was justly regarded
as n triumph of the engineering skill OF
the age.
Even to-day few bridges are worthy
Of more admiration than the old
Karlsbruclle with its grand old Gothic
tower and its sixteen noble arches
spanning the beautiful Moldau. AS
tine went on statues and groups OF
figures were placed on the buttresses
of the bridge. The oldest % these.
large stone crucifix with images of the
Virgin and st. John, was built with
money wrung from the Jews Short
services were occasionally held before
the crucifiX.
Another curious group, showing the
suffering souls in purgatory, commem-
grated the dreadful visitation of the
plague. But the most interesting of
the statues is that of 1t. John of Nepo-
muk, the patron of bridges and the
saint whom all Prague delights to
honor. 81. John, so the legend tells MS,
was the confessor of the lovely queen
OF Bohemia and refused 10 reveal the
secrcts of the confessional to her jeal-
ous husband. The cruel WenZel COM
mandcd him to be tortured. and after
ward he was thrown from the karls-
brucke at night into the rushing Mol
dan. Whereupon the body of the good
priest. instead of sinking, continued to
float until taken from the wafer. while
five brilliant stars lowered over it. The
statue represents an ascetic figure hold
ing n crucitiN, and around the head are
arranged the five MIRACULOUS stars.
One fingers longest near the fine old
tower ut the entrance u the bridge. II
by some spell like that used in the
Arabian tale we could unseal the lips
Of the sculptured figures who look
down 50 cair,iy from their lofty station,
what tragic tales they could tell Of the
MANY times the tide of battle has surged
across tnis bridge: During the stormy
days of the thirty years war it was the
scene of many conflicts, and for ten
years the heads of twelve Of Bohemia's
Protestant mobiles swung in iron cages
from the tower. Later, the citizens of
Prague rallied To its defense against
the Swedes and held it for three long
months, till the peace of WeStphalia
ended the war. When Frederick the
Great invaded bohemia it was the scene
of a bloody struggle, and as lately as
the revolution of Is4s "a famous barri-
cade was built there by the students.
But the days of the karlsbrucke are
numbered. Recently three of its arches
Were carried away by the swollen river
and the collapse of a fourth a 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 as the twenti-
eth century nnenS before the world