250 000 CZK / 9260€ to take a picture of the Charles Bridge – Myth or Truth?
I was exploring some unique photos of Prague and the Charles Bridge, when I found a couple of articles referring to a fine of CZK 250 000 – nearly 10K Euro – which you can get, if you use a tripod to take a photograph on the Charles Bridge. A lot of people are looking for answers to the questions: How and why to pay fee to use a tripod on the Charles Bridge? Is there a fine to use tripod on the Charles Bridge? Why to pay a fee to make photos of the Charles Bridge?
What does the web say?
I searched the internet, mostly the website of Praha 1 district and found out that in fact it is not true. The fees only apply to film and TV production. Unfortunately as usual in Czechia the law is not 100% clear and it seems a TV production is also photography and production of advertisements or other commercial production e.g. the photographs. In my opinion and according to the replies of the official staff of the city, you only need a special permit in case you use the area of the Charles Bridge for business purposes. Which means that if you put a tripod and make a few shots of the Prague Castle, river view and the statues, you are not breaking any laws as long as you are not preventing pedestrians or other users of the Bridge to move freely around. However should you be interested in blocking the area or certain parts of the Bridge, you have to have a special permit and also have to pay the fee. In fact it does not cost anything to use the tripod. but it costs to rent the space / part of the Bridge to put the tripod on.
What are the fees for taking pictures / making TV production or film making?
According to the message of Mr. Kotlar on the server www.Praha1.cz the fee is 20 CZK per square meter. Which means that if you wanted to rent 1 square meter for your tripod, it would cost 20 CZK. You have to apply for the permit at the office of City quarter Praha 1, 4th Floor, room number 415 at Vodickova 18. Funny is that it is recommended to apply with minimum 30 days in advance. I wonder whether it is even legal to apply such bureaucratic obstructions for simple photography. The renting of the whole bridge costs 250 000 CZK according to other replies of Mr. Kotlar and other members of the city office. According to the document posted on the www.Praha.eu, the fee to rent the Charles Bridge is CZK 60 per square meter. I am honestly confused, which information is correct.
Conclusion
It is not a problem to take a picture from the Charles Bridge using a tripod. You have to be fast, not block other pedestrians or users of the Bridge. Should you be interested in making wedding photographs or other production (e.g. photo models, product photos], which will need more time and thus more space. Eventually you may need to block pedestrian traffic across the Charles Bridge for limited time, the permission is needed. And it does not matter whether you will position a tripod, lights or film camera on the Charles Bridge. Simply said should you need to rent a part of the Charles Bridge, it is possible and it costs money. Taking pictures does not need the permit and there are no legal restrictions.
Bonus
if you read the whole article, you deserve a reward. Find below some of the beautiful photographs of Prague. the Charles Bridge and other areas such as Strahov Stadium, panorama view of Prague and a few more that I purchased under royal free license.