Svatopluk Čech Bridge or Čech Bridge () is an

arch bridge An arch bridge is a bridge with abutments at each end shaped as a curved arch. Arch bridges work by transferring the weight of the bridge and its structural load, loads partially into a horizontal thrust restrained by the abutments at either si ...

over the river

Vltava The Vltava ( , ; ) is the longest river in the Czech Republic, a left tributary of the Elbe River. It runs southeast along the Bohemian Forest and then north across Bohemia, through Český Krumlov, České Budějovice, and Prague. It is com ...

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

History and description

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

Holešovice Holešovice () is a district in the north of Prague situated on a meander of the River Vltava, which makes up the main part of the district Prague 7 (an insignificant part belongs to Prague 1). In the past Holešovice was a heavily industrial su ...

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. In some cases, newer developments on t ...

(''Staré Město''). The bridge is constructed of stone (pillars) and iron (arches). Up to 1961 the roadway was made of wood – a hard species named ''

Jarrah ''Eucalyptus marginata'', commonly known as jarrah, in Noongar language and historically as Swan River mahogany, is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a tree with rough, fibro ...

'' from Australia. The road got slippery in the rain, so it was paved for safety reasons. The bridge's architects were Jan Koula and Jiří Soukup.

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...

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 Czech writer

Svatopluk Čech Svatopluk Čech (21 February 1846 – 23 February 1908) was a Czechs, Czech writer, journalist and poet. Biography Čech was born in Ostředek. He studied at Gymnasium (school), gymnasium in Prague, then studied law, and later worked in the jour ...

who died around the time of the bridge's completion (1846–1908); its opening became a feat of the Czech nation. During the

occupation of Czechoslovakia Occupation commonly refers to: *Occupation (human activity), or job, one's role in society, often a regular activity performed for payment *Occupation (protest), political demonstration by holding public or symbolic spaces *Military occupation, th ...

by Nazis, the name of the bridge was changed (1940–1945) to ''Mendel Bridge'' (''Mendelův most''), after

Gregor Mendel Gregor Johann Mendel Order of Saint Augustine, OSA (; ; ; 20 July 1822 – 6 January 1884) was an Austrian Empire, Austrian biologist, meteorologist, mathematician, Augustinians, Augustinian friar and abbot of St Thomas's Abbey, Brno, St. Thom ...

(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.

References

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 Arch bridges in the Czech Republic