The Libeň Bridge is not a cultural monument, the ministry decided

Prague - The Libeň Bridge in Prague has not become a cultural monument, decided the Ministry of Culture. The verdict is not final. The bridge has been closed to cars and public transport for a month due to its poor condition. The Prague council is expected to decide at one of its future meetings whether to repair or demolish the bridge. However, Prague politicians have yet to agree on how to handle the bridge. The ministry wants a replica of the bridge to be built on the site.

The heritage value of both key parts of the bridge complex - the bridge over the river and the so-called flood bridge - would be significantly harmed by the reconstruction, the ministry stated. "At the same time, the ministry took into account the public interest in restoring tram and car traffic between Holešovice and Libeň. Given the repeatedly demonstrated high architectural and urban value of the complex, the ministry fully supports the idea of building a replica that would meet the necessary requirements for load-bearing capacity and longevity, while also preserving the exceptionally valuable forms of Janák's cubist shapes," the decision states. The architectural value of the bridge, designed by Pavel Janák, was recognized by the ministry back in 2004, but it did not become a cultural monument.

In the current proceedings, the ministry also considered the technical condition of the bridge, the balance between the interest in maintaining the transport connection, and the interest in preserving the architectural value. According to an analysis by the Klokner Institute of the Czech Technical University, which studied the bridge's condition for a year, a comprehensive reconstruction would be necessary to preserve the bridge. This would mean replacing at least half of all structural elements and replacing the other aging parts. Moreover, additional defects and problems often arise during reconstructions. According to the ministry, it is very likely that this would also be the case with the Libeň Bridge.

"If no one files an appeal against this decision, it is possible to resume where the Technical Administration of Roads suspended the preparations two years ago based on the resolution of the City Council," said Barbora Lišková, the press spokesperson for the Technical Administration of Roads, to ČTK. In April 2016, Prague's council suspended the tender for the contractor for the reconstruction of the complex due to the proceedings regarding the declaration of the bridge as a cultural monument.

City politicians do not agree on whether to repair the bridge or build a new one. Among the supporters of building a new bridge are Mayor Adriana Krnáčová (ANO) and the Mayor of Prague 8, Roman Petrus (ČSSD), who consider such a variant to be more economically advantageous. The reconstruction of the existing bridge is defended by the Mayor of Prague 7, Jan Čižinský (KDU-ČSL/Trojkoalice), who believes that the previously prepared project is not realizable, and by the Vice-Mayor of the same district, Ondřej Mirovský (SZ/Trojkoalice).

Participants in the proceedings, namely the City of Prague, the Public Transport Company, the Technical Administration of Roads, and Czech Ports, can appeal against the ministry's verdict within 15 days of its issuance. If they do, the matter will be addressed by the Appeals Commission, which could take several months. If anyone else files objections or comments, the ministry will address them - in such a case, however, the proceedings will not suspend the current decision, and the owner may handle the bridge according to their intentions.

According to experts, the cost of building a new bridge and the comprehensive reconstruction of the current one would be similar, ranging from 550 to 600 million crowns. In the original plan, the Technical Administration of Roads estimated costs at about 350 million crowns, but the plan assumed the use of the current bridge's pillars. This was ruled out by experts due to their poor condition.

According to the Deputy Mayor Petr Dolínek (ČSSD), an expert group will be formed to help not only with the Libeň Bridge but also with the situation of bridges in Prague in general.