The bronze statue of Emperor Charles IV stands on Křižovnické Square, the small square at the Old Town end of Charles Bridge in Prague. It was made for the 500th anniversary of Charles University, which he founded in 1348, so the emperor holds the university's founding charter while four seated figures at his feet stand for its first four faculties.
The Charles IV statue at a glance
- Where: Křižovnické náměstí (Knights of the Cross Square), right beside the Old Town Bridge Tower
- Created: modelled in 1846 for the university's 500th anniversary in 1848; Prague's tourist board says the revolution of that year delayed the formal unveiling to 1849
- By: Ernst Julius Hähnel, a sculptor from Dresden; cast in Nuremberg under Jakob Daniel Burgschmiet
- What it is today: a free open-air monument and one of the first sights you meet coming off the bridge
- Time needed: 10 minutes for the statue, longer if you combine it with the bridge tower
The king who rebuilt Prague
Charles IV (1316–1378) was King of Bohemia from 1346 and was crowned Holy Roman Emperor in 1355. He made Prague his imperial residence and gave it much of its shape: in 1348 he founded both the New Town and the university that bears his name, the first in Central Europe, and in 1357 work began on the stone bridge later named after him. He also pushed forward St Vitus Cathedral and built Karlštejn Castle outside the city.
Five centuries later, the university and public collections paid for this monument. Hähnel designed it in the neo-Gothic style then fashionable, and the casting was done in Nuremberg, a city Charles had also favoured. The anniversary year, 1848, was the year of revolution in Prague, and fighting broke out close to the bridge; the statue was covered for its protection, which is why sources give both 1848 and 1849 for its completion and unveiling.
What to look for
- Charles himself, crowned and robed, almost four metres tall: he rests one hand on a sword and holds the university's foundation charter in the other.
- The four seated women around the base, allegories of the faculties of theology, law, medicine and philosophy (the arts). Each carries her own symbols.
- The four standing figures at the corners: Archbishop Arnošt of Pardubice, Archbishop Jan Očko of Vlašim, the chronicler Beneš Krabice of Weitmile and Matthias of Arras, the first architect of St Vitus Cathedral.
- The Gothic pinnacles and tracery of the pedestal, a 19th-century tribute to the style of Charles's own time.
- The backdrop: the dome of the Church of St Francis of Assisi on one side and the Old Town Bridge Tower on the other.
A square named after hospital knights
The square takes its name from the Knights of the Cross with the Red Star, a hospital order that grew out of a brotherhood founded in Prague around 1233 by St Agnes of Bohemia and recognised by the pope in 1237. In 1252 the knights settled at the foot of the bridge, at that time the older Judith Bridge, and their domed church of St Francis of Assisi still stands behind the statue, so the emperor shares the square with an order older than his own bridge.
Tips for your visit
- Come early in the morning, before the bridge fills up; the square is calm and you can photograph the statue without crowds.
- In the late afternoon the sun sets beyond the castle across the river, and the light on the bronze is warm.
- Step back towards the river wall for a view that frames Charles with the church dome and the bridge tower.
- Combine it with a walk across Charles Bridge and a climb up the Old Town Bridge Tower for the view over the river.
Nearby
- Charles Bridge: the stone bridge Charles began in 1357, lined with Baroque statues; it starts right here.
- Old Town Bridge Tower: a Gothic gate tower with a richly carved façade facing the square; you can climb it for views of the bridge and the castle.
- Church of St Francis of Assisi: the domed Baroque church of the Knights of the Cross, directly behind the statue.
- Clementinum: the vast former Jesuit college next door, famous for its Baroque library hall; a minute's walk.
See Prague with World City Trail
Our Prague scavenger hunt turns the old town into a game you play on your phone. The route links 10 stops and takes around two hours, with about 53 minutes of walking. It includes places such as the Henry Tower, the Astronomical Clock and the Church of Our Lady before Týn.
If you prefer a different format, Prague also has a self-guided walking tour and an outdoor escape game.
Play the Prague scavenger hunt →
Take the self-guided walking tour of Prague →
Play the outdoor escape game in Prague →
Facts checked in October 2026.