Lesser Town Bridge Tower in Prague – Practical Info, History & Guide (2025)
The Lesser Town Bridge Tower is on the Lesser Town side of the historic Charles Bridge in Prague and is made of two towers from different periods. The lower, Romanesque tower, dates back to the 12th century and was originally part of the Judith Bridge – a bridge that was here before Charles Bridge was built.
The higher Gothic tower was built in 1464 during the reign of King George of Poděbrady, replacing an older Romanesque structure. The taller tower was designed to somewhat match the architectural style of the Old Town Bridge Tower, so they look quite similar.
MORE TOWERS TO EXPLORE IN PRAGUE
My local tip
If you are traveling to Prague on a budget, you might like to know that you can get 50% off the ticket price if you visit the tower in the first hour after opening time. This offer is also valid on all the other towers, such as the Powder Tower, Old Town Bridge Tower or the New Mill Tower.
The Lesser Town Bridge Tower is best tower to visit if you want to take photos of Charles Bridge (and the Old Town Tower) in the afternoon and evening, as the sun is setting behind the Prague Castle and you’ll have a good light.
What can you see inside the Lesser Town Tower
You can see the tower, how it would have looked like in the 15th-century (a.ka. very plain…) and to be honest, there is not much to see inside the tower.
There is no exhibition, just a quick explanation of the tower’s history and the only decor you can see are stained glass windows and few remains of an old medieval head statues on the wall. But the most interesting thing is to walk outside in between the two tower to get a clear view of the Charles Bridge.
What you can see from the top
There is a great view of the Charles Bridge and roofs of surrounding houses. You can also see the Prague Castle and the gardens bellow, the beautiful St. Nicholas Church close by and the Petrin Hill with the Petrin Lookout Tower on the other side.
Last time I visited, it was in early March and there was hazy afternoon sun with a pink light just before the sun went down. It was pretty magical and I was there nearly alone apart from few students waiting for the sunset.
What I found out later is that the air in Prague had a high amount of dust from the Sahara desert, which was was most visible during sunrises and sunsets. The dust made the sky almost yellow and there was also fine milky fog, which was very noticeable during the day. I love how differently the photos turned out from that day!
The tower is not open early enough to get there for sunrise over the Old Town Tower, but you can always take a great photos from the bridge itself.
The Lesser Town Bridge Tower History
The lower tower is sometimes also called Judith’s Tower, because it was built originally as part of the Judith’s bridge, which was the first ever bridge over Vltava river in Prague, back in the 12th century. Judith was the wife of a Bohemian King Vladislav I who ordered the bridge to be built.
It’s interesting that Judith’s tower was a lot older than the bridge itself, as it was built as part of the Lesser Town protective wall. Lesser town was a completely separate town at that time and it’s possible that the tower was built by the knights order of John Jerusalem (the Maltese Knights), which were invited to Lesser Town by the king Vladislav I. and gave them land next to the Vltava river. The Maltese knights order still own those original buildings, church and the famous Lennon Wall, which is part of their property.
The tower is only 30 metres tall and there is no public access there. At one point the tower was used as clerks office for collecting taxes from traders importing salt to Prague. There is a small door on the side of the tower that was used for the clerk to get to and from the tower quicker than using the main entrance at the taller tower.
The taller tower is much younger and it wasn’t built until after 1464 at the expense of the Czech King George of Poděbrady on the site of an older Romanesque tower, which was constructed together with the lower tower. The taller tower is also the youngest building addition to the whole Charles Bridge.
The tower design follows the concept of Parléř’s Old Town Bridge Tower standing at the opposite end of Charles Bridge and is a rare architectural building of Prague’s post-Hussite Gothic.
After the Lesser Town was incorporated into Prague and there was less need for the tower’s original use, it was used as storage, workshop and fire lookout.
The tower is 43.5 meters high, and the walkway gallery between the two towers is about 26 meters high. Originally, it was probably meant to have rich sculptural decoration, but the wall niches prepared for placing sculptures remained empty.
The current appearance of the tower dates back to the years 1879–1883, when it was modified by the architect Josef Mocker.
If you look carefully at the lower part of the tower walls, you can see slight indentations, which were made by the gate keepers sharpening their swards and knifes in their spare time as they were guarding the city.
Practical Information for visiting the Lesser Town Bridge Tower
- Address: Malostranské náměstí, 118 00 Praha 1
- Opening Times: April to September: 10:00 AM – 10:00 PM, October to March: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
- Tickets: Adults: CZK 190, Students and Seniors: CZK 130, Children (6-15 years): CZK 130, Children under 6: Free
- Accessibility: stairs only, no lift or ramps for wheelchair access
There is no glass or netting on the viewing platform on the top, so you can take your pictures without any restrictions. There is no open view, though, as there are lots of pillars, corner mini towers and thick walls and not big space to take group photos or decent enough selfies with the view from the tower behind.
This blog post was originally written on 13 March 2025 and last updated on 13 March 2025
