Stone bridge with a gate tower in Stříbro, Renaissance stone bridge with gate tower in Stříbro, Czech Republic.
The stone bridge with gate tower in Stříbro is a sandstone structure that crosses the Mže River with five arches. It contains two larger spans for the river crossing and three smaller arches for flood relief.
The sandstone bridge was built between 1555 and 1560, and its gate tower was erected in 1555 by Benedict Volch of Ferrol. It carried the road from Plzeň and Prague into the town until a new bridge on Plzeňská street was built. In 1945 American soldiers carved inscriptions above both tower portals, and these were kept. Repairs begun in 2001, worsened by the 2002 flood, ended in 2015 at a cost of nearly CZK 20 million.
The bridge's protector saint is St. John of Nepomuk. The original 1721 sculpture by Lazar Widman now stands in the town museum; a replica by Jaroslav Šindelář was placed on the bridge in 2005 during reconstruction.
The bridge now serves exclusively as a pedestrian crossing, having undergone extensive renovation around 2000. Access on foot is straightforward and provides a safe crossing over the river for visitors and residents alike.
This is one of only two bridges in the Czech Republic with preserved gate structures, the other being the famous Charles Bridge in Prague. The gate tower is a rare feature that sets these two bridges apart from all others in the country.
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