Svatopluk Čech Bridge or Čech Bridge ( cs, Čechův most) is an arch bridge over the river Vltava in Prague, Czech Republic.

History and description

Construction of the bridge started in 1905 and finished in 1908. Its length is (one of the shortest in Prague) and width is . The bridge connects the Prague districts Holešovice and the

Old Town In a city or town, the old town is its historic or original core. Although the city is usually larger in its present form, many cities have redesignated this part of the city to commemorate its origins after thorough renovations. There are ma ...

(''Staré Město''). Construction materials are stone (pillars) and iron (arches). Up to 1961 the roadway was made of wood – a hard species named '' Jarrah'' from Australia. During rain, the roadway became quite slippery. Bridge architects were Jan Koula and Jiří Soukup.

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau (; ) is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. The style is known by different names in different languages: in German, in Italian, in Catalan, and also known as the Modern ...

style sculptures (including four put on 17.5-m-high pylons) were created by sculptors Klusáček, Wurzel, Popp and Amort. The bridge was named after recently died Czech writer

Svatopluk Čech Svatopluk Čech (21 February 1846 in Ostředek near Benešov – 23 February 1908 in Prague) was a Czech writer, journalist and poet. Biography Čech studied at gymnasium (secondary school) in Prague, then studied law, and later worked in the jo ...

(1846–1908); its opening became feat of Czech nation. During the occupation of Czechoslovakia by Nazis, the name of the bridge was changed (1940–1945) to ''Mendel Bridge'' (''Mendelův most''), after Gregor Mendel (of German ethnicity). In 1971–1975, Svatopluk Čech Bridge went through major reconstruction, in 1953–1956 and 2000–2001 through smaller reconstructions, in 1984–1987 the sculptures were repaired. As the only Art Nouveau style bridge in the Czech Republic, it is protected by the state as a cultural monument. It is used by tramways, cars and pedestrians.

External links

Bridge details
(cz)
Entry in encyclopedia of Czech bridges
(cz)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Svatopluk Cech Bridge Art Nouveau architecture in Prague Art Nouveau bridges Bridges completed in 1908 Bridges in Prague Bridges over the Vltava 1908 establishments in Austria-Hungary