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The Mánes Bridge is one of the major road bridges over the Vltava in the center of Prague. It connects the historic Lesser Town with the Old Town and was built between 1911 and 1914. At 186 meters long and 16 meters wide, it crosses the river at a spot where a pedestrian suspension bridge, known as the Rudolf Footbridge, once stood. This temporary crossing was dismantled after the new bridge was completed. The structure is named after the well-known Czech painter Josef Mánes, who lived from 1820 to 1871. When it first opened, however, the bridge was called the Franz Ferdinand Bridge, named after the crown prince of the day.

For visitors, the Mánes Bridge is an important and busy traffic hub that directly links the two central districts of the city. Unlike the famous Charles Bridge, which is open to pedestrians only, the Mánes Bridge carries regular road traffic. It is one of the few direct connections between the Lesser Town and the Old Town that does not run over the historic stone bridge. The bridge is an example of Prague's urban infrastructure from the early 20th century, when the growing city needed additional crossings to cope with increasing traffic.

The construction of the bridge marks a shift in Prague's bridge landscape, away from purely historical or military functions and toward modern transport links. While other bridges in the city often have complicated naming histories or were renamed for political reasons, the Mánes Bridge kept the name it was originally dedicated to in honor of the painter. Today it is a fixture of the city's skyline and an important route for commuters and tourists who want to get from one bank of the Vltava to the other without having to use the often crowded pedestrian zone of the Charles Bridge.