NPÚ wants to open the question of declaring the Libeň Bridge a monument

Prague - The National Heritage Institute (NPÚ) wants to reopen the question of declaring the Libeň Bridge in Prague a cultural monument, and has therefore submitted a request to the Ministry of Culture to review its decision. CTK was informed of this today by NPÚ spokesman Jan Cieslar. In February of this year, the ministry decided that the bridge, built in the 1920s, is not a monument. In addition to NPÚ, the interest group Empty Houses submitted a request against the decision. Both requests will be addressed by an appeal committee, said ministry spokeswoman Simona Cigánková in response to CTK's inquiry. The bridge is in poor condition and due to the necessity to support some structures that are in a state of emergency, it was closed for six weeks this year.

NPÚ and the association seeking to preserve the bridge refer to a professional analysis by the Klokner Institute at the Czech Technical University, which examined the condition of the bridge for a year. According to the assessment, the bridge can be preserved if a comprehensive reconstruction is carried out. The ministry also considered this in its decision. However, according to the ministry, the heritage value of the bridge would be compromised during extensive reconstruction. For this reason, the ministry supports the idea of building a copy of the bridge that meets current load-bearing and durability requirements.

According to Cieslar, in similar cases, the damaged load-bearing part of the structure is replaced with a new one that resembles the old one, thus preserving the essence of the monument and its use for its original purpose. "As a somewhat analogous case, a comparison can be offered with the restoration of the nearby Negrelli Viaduct, where, considering the aged parts of the arches and pillars, extensive replacements of masonry will occur, but the shape authenticity of the structures, as well as the method of execution and materials used, will remain preserved," added Cieslar.

According to Adam Scheinherr, a member of the Empty Houses association, who is the founder of the initiative "Don't Demolish, Don't Extend the Libeň Bridge," and who submitted a request in January 2016 to declare the bridge a monument, the ministry made procedural errors in the process. For example, it did not address some documents from NPÚ and the initiative. "Furthermore, in the decision, the Libeň Bridge was found to be a valuable architectural monument, but its non-declaration was justified by the impossibility of preserving its architectural value. However, it was not explained why or which parts of the bridge this pertains to," said Scheinherr.

The submitted requests for review do not come from the participants in the proceedings, which include the capital city, the transport company, the Technical Administration of Communications, and Czech Ports. Any further proceedings will not have a suspensive effect on the ministry's February decision, so the owner can manage the bridge according to his intentions. Prague politicians are still divided on whether to repair the bridge or replace it with a new one.

Since the bridge was put into operation in 1928, its load-bearing structure has never been repaired. The authors of the Libeň Bridge are architect Pavel Janák and designer František Mencl.