The statue depicts St John of Nepomuk believed to be the confessor of the Queen of Bohemia, who was drowned in the Vltava River on March 20^th 1393 at the order of Wenceslaus, King of Bohemia.  It is said that he refused to divulge the details of the Queens confessions and ultimately took her secrets to his own watery grave. St John is the National Saint of the Czech Republic and is very often depicted with a halo of five stars representing the number of stars that were shining on the Vltava on the night of his murder.

St John was laid to rest in St Vitus Cathedral within the grounds of Prague Castle .

Legend says that if you touch the small statues at the base of St John’s statue you will be granted good luck.  You will see the correct places as the copper is rubbed to a bright shine!

The Charles Bridge straddles the Vltava River in Prague .  Work on the bridge started in 1357 as instructed by King Charles IV and was completed early in the 15^th century. Originally referred to as the “ Stone Bridge ” it was later re-named as the “ Charles Bridge ” from 1870.  The bridge measures 516 metres in length and almost 10 metres in width. The bridge is guarded by three towers with 30 statues standing proudly along its length (one of whom is St John of Nepomuk as mentioned above).

The bridge is one of Prague ’s most popular attractions for tourists with many street artists displaying their works during the day and early evening along the bridge.