Charles Bridge, Prague: Overall view of bridge, Old Town bridge tower in the foreground

The Old Town bridge tower is often considered to be one of the most astonishing civil gothic-style buildings in the world. The bridge is also decorated by an alley of 30 statues, most of them baroque style, originally erected around 1700 but now all replaced by replicas.\u000a\u000aThe Charles Bridge is a famous historic bridge that crosses the Vltava (Moldau) river in Prague, Czech Republic. Its construction started in 1357 under the auspices of King Charles IV, and finished in the beginning of the 15th century. As the only means of crossing the river Vltava (Moldau), the Charles Bridge was the most important connection between the Old Town, Prague Castle and adjacent areas until 1841. This 'solid-land' connection made Prague important as a trade route between Eastern and Western Europe. The bridge was originally called the Stone Bridge (Kamenn\u00FD most) or the Prague Bridge (Pra\u017Esk\u00FD most) but has been the 'Charles Bridge' since 1870. It is protected by three bridge towers, two of them on the Lesser Quarter side and the third one on the Old Town side, begun 1373 by Peter Parler.