View from the Old Town Bridge Tower in W direction. Connecting the Old Town (Staré Město) and Malá Strana (Lesser Side), the Charles Bridge was the only fixed crossing of the Vltava river from its completion in 1402 until the mid 19th Century. Originally known as Kamenný most (Stone Bridge) or Pražský most (Prague Bridge), it was renamed to Karlův most only in 1870. The Prague Castle with St. Vitus Cathedral appears in the background of the image.