Walking on the Charles Bridge, amid so many baroque saints and the breathtaking views of Prague, one easily forgets about the basic purpose of its construction in the year 1357: to connect the castle to the town core on the opposite bank. It was the only way to cross the river until half a millennium later, when the city’s growth and its increased traffic flows began to call for more efficient linkage between both sides of the Moldau, something the now 19 overpasses continue to provide.

The most recent one is a pedestrian structure that curves slightly between two vibrant districts and includes a branch giving access to a large fluvial island. Held up by four minimalist piers, the structure has a prefabricated concrete framework reinforced with fiberglass. Its marble-like magnificence accentuated by a bronze balustrade resonates well with the Smetana rhythms by which the Moldau “majestically vanishes into the distance.”