The stone bridge near St Catherine’s Church, which spans the Sázava River, was built in the mid-19th century on the site of an older covered wooden bridge. After World War II, it was enlarged and then modified to its current form in 2012.

A bridge has existed at this location since the Middle Ages, when the Haberská trail connecting Znojmo and Prague passed through here. By the 17th century at the latest, the wooden bridge was covered and supported by four pillars. In 1714, it was destroyed by the largest flood to hit the entire upper Sázava River basin. The bridge was restored to its original wooden form, but in the mid-19th century, the Vienna ministry of trade took over its administration and decided to demolish it and build a new stone bridge.

Negotiations over the construction, which began in the early 1850s, culminated in the ceremonial consecration of the foundation stone on 15 October 1854. Under the direction of engineer Jan Jarka, a nearly 50-metre-long, three-arch granite bridge was built on spruce timber grates. Chief engineer Josef Bořický was appointed as the main supervisor, and the materials were supplied by the Jihlava stonemason Stefan Weigner. The bridge was completed on 5 November 1855.

The construction of the bridge also affected its immediate surroundings. The Church of St Catherine, adjacent to the south side of the bridge, had to be demolished, and the houses in the vicinity were left below ground level due to the elevation of the bridge and had to be reinforced with retaining walls and staircases.

After the bridge was damaged by Red Army tanks passing over it on their way to Prague, the town undertook extensive repairs in 1945–1946, including a 2.5-metre widening and the addition of pavements. Old granite blocks from the removed bridge railing were used in the reconstruction. The total cost of the construction, which was carried out while the bridge remained partially open to traffic, amounted to 1,500,000 crowns, paid for by the ministry. The bridge was completed before the arrival of President Edvard Beneš, who ceremoniously opened it on 6 July 1946, under its new name, the May 9 Bridge.

In 2012, the Vysočina Region and the town of Havlíčkův Brod undertook repairs necessitated by the poor condition of the bridge caused by poor drainage and leaks into the bridge structure. The work was carried out according to a design by Jiří Janík from the Brno-based company IM–Projekt. In addition to repairing the bridge deck, new elegant railings were installed, the pavements were widened, and decorative lighting was added. Simultaneously, the engineering networks were renovated and the bridge was seamlessly integrated with the adjacent roads, including the restoration and placement of ‘Hnát’s Stone’.