Opponents of the method of repairing Charles Bridge will file a criminal complaint

Prague - Opponents of the way the Charles Bridge is being repaired will today file a criminal complaint against an unknown perpetrator. They want to investigate the legal shortcomings in the approval of the reconstruction. Pavel Ries from the Association of Societies for the Protection and Development of Cultural Heritage (ASORKD) told journalists. They object to the fact that a construction-historical survey was allegedly not conducted before the repairs began, and that archaeologists were not informed. They also disapprove of the chosen method of reconstruction.
    ASORKD considers the main city, as the owner of the bridge, the magistrate as the heritage protection authority, and the National Heritage Institute (NPÚ) as responsible for the wrongdoing. "There has been a flagrant violation of the law," said Martin Kadrman from ASORKD.
    Representatives of the builders and the magistrate, however, rejected the wrongdoing at today’s meeting with journalists that preceded the ASORKD press conference, and defended the work processes. They only admit minor shortcomings, which they believe have already been remedied.
    Construction work has been ongoing for two years and has been especially criticized by the heritage inspection of the Ministry of Culture. They found deficiencies in the construction documentation and in the restoration procedures themselves. Reportedly, more stone blocks were replaced than recommended by the survey. Inspectors also disapproved of the way the stones in the bridge railing were processed. The work on the bridge has significantly disrupted the authenticity of this national cultural monument.
    The owner of the monument, the city of Prague, rejects criticism on one hand, but at the same time the culture and heritage protection department of the Prague magistrate stated in its decision that the city does not adequately protect the Charles Bridge from damage and devaluation during the reconstruction.
    In the end, the heritage department of the magistrate fined the city, thus itself, 54,000 crowns. This was for allegedly formal errors in the documentation, namely the missing new construction-historical survey.
    ASORKD considers the unprocessed construction-historical documentation as one of the most serious faults. Vladimír Tvrzník, a representative of Mott MacDonald, the company repairing the bridge, claims that the construction-historical survey and the implementation documentation were completed. According to him, they are currently being supplemented based on feedback from the National Heritage Institute.
    Tvrzník admitted that they failed to inform archaeologists from the Academy of Sciences. However, representatives of the company previously stated that NPÚ archaeologists oversaw the work.
    The opponents of the repair method also disapprove of the chosen procedures. Petr Růžička from ASORKD told journalists that materials that have not been tested over time are being used. He also objects to the method of processing the stones in the bridge railing, which he describes as industrial.
    Tvrzník defends the chosen procedures. "It is a transport route. Therefore, it must endure a different load than statues or a cathedral," he emphasized. According to him, masonry errors are insignificant and will be corrected before the company hands over the first part of the repairs to the magistrate in June next year.
    In addition to the criminal complaint, ASORKD also wants to initiate a control by NPÚ at the magistrate to check whether the main city fulfills its duty to the heritage protection authority.
    Ries told ČTK that if they are unable to stop the work with the criminal complaint, they want to use a petition initiated by the association. According to the association, it has been signed by 3,500 people so far.
    The first part of the repairs is to be completed in June, according to Tvrzník. This will be followed by the reconstruction of the bridge's skin and vaults. The builders plan to start this only in 2013, as they are waiting for the opening of a quarry for sandstone that was used during the construction of the Charles Bridge. The same stone is not mined anywhere else in the Czech Republic. Currently, an administrative procedure is underway that lasts about two years. Tvrzník told ČTK that the quarry is expected to open in Manětín in the Plzeň region.
    While there is currently pressure on the construction company to open the whole bridge to tourists as soon as possible, further repairs, according to Tvrzník, will be carried out gradually. They will take eight to ten years. The magistrate will pay about 230 million crowns for the repairs in total.