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Czech king and the ruler of Holy Roman Empire, Charles IV, chose Prague as his seat. He turned it into the Empire’s political and economical centre. 14th century Prague had 40 000 inhabitants and was the biggest city in Middle Europe.
Charles IV was a man of faith and at the time this had everything to do with the Gothic architecture. The king was surrounded by many great architects including Mathias of Arras and Peter Parler. With their help he turned Prague into a beautiful modern city where religion and education went hand in hand.
Apart from renovating old buildings in the city centre, Charles had the New Town built. It was right next to the more historical centre and it includes today’s Wenceslas Square. The motive was clear – the king wanted a place for craftsmen to work and sell their products. The New Town soon became the commerce centre of Prague leaving the Old Town with lawyers, bureaucrats, students and noblemen.
In 1357, Charles started building a bridge over river Vltava. Charles Bridge was made of stone and grout with raw eggs that made the construction stronger. Due to frequent floods, the main Prague bridge had to be repaired many times. The statues that we see on it now were put up in 17th century and are Baroque.
Paying his tribute to St Wenceslas, Charles built a grand cathedral over the Romanesque Rotunda of St Vitus at Prague Castle. He placed the remains of Wenceslas in the newly built Saint Wenceslas Chapel.
The king was a very educated man. One of his biggest steps was establishing Charles University of Prague in 1348. It taught philosophy, theology, medicine and law. Its duty was to educate young men who would serve the Czech Kingdom. Its tradition continues - today it has 17 faculties and thousands of students.