St John of Nepomuk was thrown off the bridge because he refused to reveal the secret told to him by king Wenceslas' wife, part of the bridge broke off at the exact same time. Numerous attempts at repairing the broken off arch had failed - even eggs and milk probably didn't do the trick - until one of the builders made a pact with the devil. He promised him the soul of the first being that crossed the newly repaired bridge in return for the successfull repairwork. When the day arrived, the builder asked the guards to ceremoniously release an ordinary cock over the bridge before anyone would be allowed to cross. But the devil outsmarted him. Dressed as the builder's assistant, he ran to the builder's wife and said her husband had been involved in an accident. She ran to the bridge past the guards and the cock and her soul became the devil's forever.
Charles Bridge legend
