Statue of St Barbara, St Margaret and St Elizabeth,1707. On the Charles Bridge (Karluv Most).Prague's most familiar monument, now a haven for craft and trinket stalls, connects the Old Town with the Little Quarter. Until 1741, Charles Bridge was the only crossing over the Vltava. It is 520m (1,706ft) long and is built of sandstone blocks, rumoured to be strengthened by mixing mortar with eggs. The bridge was commissioned by Charles IV in 137 to replace the Judith Bridge and built by Peter Parler. The bridge's original decoration was a simple cross. The first statue, of St John Nepomuk, was added in 1683, inspired by Bernini's sculptures on Rome's Ponte Sant'Angelo. Many of the statues on the bridge have been replaced with copies; the originals are kept in the Lapidarium of the National Museum.