Depeche Mode fans flock to Prague’s Charles Bridge to recreate 1988 band
photo
[October 03, 2026]
By KAREL JANICEK
PRAGUE (AP) — A constant eye-catching queue that forms daily at a
sculpture on Prague 's Charles Bridge has become a new feature of the
14th-century landmark.
Tourists have long flocked to the bridge over the Vltava River to visit
the statue of St John of Nepomuk. Now, visitors are lining up at the
nearby Pietà sculpture to recreate an iconic 1988 photograph of music
icons Depeche Mode.
The British electro-rock band first crossed the Iron Curtain in March
1988 to play a historic concert in Prague, then the capital of communist
Czechoslovakia. They returned that November with renowned Dutch
photographer Anton Corbijn, who captured them exploring the city for
photographs that later appeared in his book, “Depeche Mode: Strangers.”
One black-and-white image has a particular appeal for fans: Dave Gahan
and Martin Gore standing beside the Pietà sculpture.
Fans have been making the pilgrimage for years, but photographs of a
mass gathering on the bridge between the band’s Prague concerts in 2024
appear to have helped fuel a modern-day boom.
Currently, the photo recreated by the visiting fans is trending with
millions of views on social media.
Jorge Sanchez, from California, and his wife were among the recent
visitors.
“Well, I remember seeing the picture from way back, and then I kind of
remember, and I looked it up, and I learned that it was here, so I
wanted to make sure I took a picture,” Sanchez said.
“I think it fit at the time, you know, with their music, you know, and
their message and their music with your personal Jesus and all of that,
so it’s kind of fitting.”
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People wait in line to recreate a famous photo of two members of
Depeche Mode, taken by Dutch photographer Anton Corbijn in 1988, by
the Pieta statue at the Charles Bridge in Prague, Czech Republic,
Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
 Maria Hofer and Lara Hinteregger
came from Austria.
“We just saw this on Pinterest or on TikTok, and it’s kind of one of
the most famous pictures you can take here in Prague,” Hofer said.
“So, we wanted to do it as well,” Hofer said.
“Yeah, and we also like the vibe of the music. We feel like it fits
the vibe of the city pretty well,” Hinteregger added.
St John Nepomuk was tortured to death at the request of King
Wenceslas IV in 1393 because he refused to violate the seal of the
confession and reveal to him the sins of his wife. His dead body was
thrown into the river from Charles Bridge.
It is said that touching the polished engravings of the event placed
at the pedestal of the Nepomuk statue will bring luck and ensure a
return to Prague.
It is not clear if the members of Depeche Mode placed their hands on
the Nepomuk statue in March 1988, but they returned later that same
year — and their photographs have given fans another reason to
follow.
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Associated Press video journalist Stanislav Hodina contributed.
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