Archaeologists have determined the exact location of the vanished Judith Bridge

Prague - Archaeologists, with the help of modern technologies, have uncovered the exact location of the pillars of Judith's Bridge, which stood near today's Charles Bridge. They also found wooden piles that could be remnants of the very first wooden bridge across the Vltava River. Today, at the site, the head of the archaeological work, Petr Juřina, informed journalists about this. The bottom of the Vltava River is currently being modified for a shipping channel. Archaeologists and divers will be working on the bridge for several more days, with the first survey conducted earlier this year.

Judith's Bridge was completed in 1172 and was destroyed by a flood in 1342, with Charles Bridge being built a bit further south as a replacement. Until now, due to poor visibility, it had not been possible to determine the exact location of the pillars during surveys. Now archaeologists were assisted by new microwave technologies, sonar, and an underwater drone that looks like a small submarine. According to Juřina, this is the first time these technologies have been used in Czech conditions, and the other two technologies had only been used by the police so far.

"Thanks to the precise location of the pillars of Judith's Bridge, we can now work on their protection. We have also learned more information about the bridge that we had only estimated before. We know that the bridge was bent, unlike Charles Bridge. We were surprised that the spans of the bridge arches were not regular. They adapted to the river current," said Juřina. A valuable find also includes the piles, which may have been part of the very first bridge in Prague, or shards of pots from the 13th century. The most commonly found items are from modern times, such as coins, pieces of fabric, or locks that people hang on the bridge's structures.

The most challenging part of the archaeological work under Charles Bridge is the poor visibility in the heavily turbid Vltava water. "Every centimeter is examined, and nothing goes unnoticed. However, you can't see anything underwater, so it's quite demanding. Physically and mentally. The equipment makes various noises, pulls you, and you have to wrestle with it. Yesterday (Monday) I spent about four and a half hours underwater in several descents," said Petr Mulač, head of the rescue diving service. He added that you have to get close to the object, just a few dozen centimeters away, to see anything. Most divers also lack archaeological knowledge, making communication between divers and archaeologists challenging.

The archaeological work is part of the adjustment of the navigational depth of the Vltava River. This is intended to facilitate and improve shipping in areas that were shallow or silted. In most of these areas, the riverbed has been dredged with heavy machinery, but the area around Judith's and Charles's Bridge is an exception due to valuable archaeological monuments. The plan is to take samples from the old piles and then cut them at the required height so they don't obstruct shipping traffic. The rest will remain underwater.

Judith's Bridge stood a few dozen meters next to today's Charles Bridge. It was the first stone bridge in the Czech lands. However, in 1342, part of the bridge was washed away by a flood and was only temporarily repaired. Fifteen years later, construction of Charles Bridge began. The last arch of Judith's Bridge stands on the riverbank in a water tunnel on the Old Town bank.