The bridge is 515.8 m long, 9.5 m wide, and 13 m tall. It was begun in 1357 by King Charles IV and completed in 1402 by the architect Peter Parler and stonemason Otto. The construction is made of stones that create an arched bridge. The famous medieval bridge in Prague spans the Vltava River. After the first bridge collapsed, only the Judith Tower remained intact. The bridge as it stands today is adorned with baroque statues of emperors and saints from Czech history. Most of them were erected between 1683 and 1714. One of the most prominent is the statue of St. John of Nepomuk, the Czech Republic's patron saint.
In the 14th century, Europe saw an unexpected phenomenon known as the Schism. Catholic Christians had a pope who represented God on earth. Without the Pope's permission, kings could not marry, divorce, or establish universities. In the 14th century, there were two popes: one in the Vatican and one in Avignon. Wenceslas IV, the king of Bohemia at the time, was completely committed to his kinsman, the Pope of the Vatican.
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