Lesser Town Bridge Tower

The Lesser Town Bridge Towers are two architecturally distinct towers connected by a gate, forming the entrance to Malá Strana from Charles Bridge. The shorter tower — also called Judith's Tower — is Romanesque at its core, dating to the 12th century as part of the original Judith Bridge, Prague's first stone bridge, destroyed by floods in 1342; its current Renaissance appearance dates to 1591. The taller Late Gothic tower was built after 1464 at the expense of King George of Poděbrady, modelled on Petr Parléř's Old Town Bridge Tower; it stands 43.5 metres high with a viewing gallery at 26 metres. Wall niches were prepared for monumental sculptures that were never installed. If you look closely at the lower parts of the tower walls, you can see indentations worn into the stone by gatekeepers sharpening their swords during guard duty. The tower houses a small exhibition on the history of Charles Bridge. The viewing gallery offers a direct, low-angle view down the length of the bridge towards the Old Town — different from and arguably more intimate than the view from the Old Town Bridge Tower.