Magistrate: Prague does not sufficiently protect Charles Bridge during its renovation

Prague - According to its conservationists, Prague is not sufficiently protecting Charles Bridge from damage and degradation during its current reconstruction. This follows from a decision made by the Department of Culture and Heritage Care of the Prague City Hall, a text of which is available to ČTK. The Ministry of Culture had already criticized the construction work; however, Prague has so far denied any serious mistakes during the repairs of Charles Bridge.
The head of the city hall's heritage care department, Jan Kněžínek, stated in early August that the mistakes in the bridge reconstruction were more formal in nature and did not harm the monument; the capital was fined 54,000 crowns for this. According to last year's assessment from the Ministry of Culture, however, the repairs have significantly harmed the value and authenticity of this important medieval heritage site.
The capital city, which owns the national cultural monument, must, according to its conservationists, immediately remedy the situation. The National Heritage Institute (NPÚ) demanded that the repairs be halted and that preparatory work be completed first, but the city hall's department did not accept this request in its decision.
According to the conservationists, the capital city has not yet processed a building historical survey in the necessary extent, even though it had been obligated to do so since May 2004. The department requires the capital to continuously conduct an operational survey of the parts of the parapet that have not yet been affected.
When dismantling the parapet and during further handling, according to the city hall conservationists, the blocks must not be further damaged. New pieces must be properly installed, and the mortar must not seep onto the masonry. The department will decide on the historically significant stones. The stones from the original construction of the bridge's parapet, which are currently lying in a landfill, will be examined by a restorer.
"I just hope that the city of Prague and the state heritage care will learn from mistakes, and the next phase, which involves repairing the stone facade of the pillars and arches, will be prepared and carried out precisely, as this national treasure deserves," said Lenka Svobodová, head of the control group of the Ministry of Culture's heritage inspection, to ČTK.
The Ministry of Culture's heritage inspection sharply criticized the progress of the construction work on Charles Bridge at the end of last year. The city defended itself, but the inspection dismissed its objections. As stated in the inspection report, the repair of Charles Bridge was characterized by inadequate preparation. There was a lack of implementation documentation that should have detailed the repair of the stone railing, as well as a building historical survey. According to the inspection, the construction work harmed the cultural-historical value of the bridge.
During the inspection, two areas of mistakes were identified. The first was related to the preparation and missing permits, and the second related to the repairs themselves. Allegedly, more stone blocks were replaced than recommended by the diagnostic survey from the Faculty of Science at Charles University in Prague, and criticism was also directed at the way the stone components of the bridge were treated during the repairs.
The factory method of producing stone blocks is foreign to this construction, as criticized by independent experts, including Martin Pavala from the Academy of Fine Arts.
The reconstruction of the bridge began in August 2007. Last November, the ministry stated that the aesthetic and artistic value of the bridge had suffered significantly due to the repairs.
Currently, the roadway and railing on the bridge are being repaired. In addition to new insulation, new engineering networks will also be extended in the monument so that gas lighting can be restored. This phase should be completed by June 2010, after which the stone facade of the bridge will be reconstructed from the outside.