Jirásek Bridge is the sixth bridge across the Vltava in Prague. The growing district of Smíchov could no longer be served by Palacký Bridge alone, and so a new bridge was built between the New Town and Smíchov.
Construction began in 1929 and was completed in 1933. The project was designed by architect Vlastimil Hofman and engineer František Mencl. This time it is a reinforced-concrete bridge. It is 310 metres long and 21 metres wide. It has 5 concrete piers clad in granite blocks and 6 parabolic arches. The bridge was opened in two stages — first the central section for trams, and the rest two years later. The tracks were later removed.
The bridge's simple artistic decoration suggests that its purely transport function would dominate. The outer surfaces are clad in artificial-stone render, and the concrete railings and lighting masts have a polished terrazzo finish. Pylons with decorative fountains and obelisks stand at both bridgeheads. The bridge is named after Alois Jirásek, who lived between 1903 and 1930 in house no. 1775 on what is now Jirásek Square.
You can see Jirásek Bridge on one of the longer Vltava cruises.
