Praha imposed a fine for the errors in the repair of Charles Bridge

Prague - Prague has imposed a fine of 54,000 crowns for errors during the reconstruction of Charles Bridge. Jan Kněžínek, head of the city hall's cultural and heritage department, told ČTK that the mistakes were mainly formal and did not harm the monument. According to an earlier statement by the Ministry of Culture's inspection, however, the repair significantly damaged the value and authenticity of this heritage site. The city continues to reject the ministry's criticisms.
According to Kněžínek, Prague erred, for example, by not notifying the Academy of Sciences about the start of archaeological surveys or by not precisely determining in advance the method of processing the stone blocks. "That is why we imposed a fine at the lower limit," Kněžínek told ČTK. The amendment to the Heritage Act allows for fines for damaging a national cultural monument of up to four million crowns.
Kněžínek added that the decision has not yet become legally binding and the city can appeal to the Ministry of Culture. "I would advise accepting the fine," noted Kněžínek.
The capital city and the city’s heritage officials continue to deny that the monument was damaged during the repair. According to Kněžínek, Prague's heritage officials initially did not want to impose any fine on the capital, but then changed their opinion for preventative and educational reasons. The ministry's inspection sharply criticized the work on Charles Bridge at the end of last year. The city defended itself, but the inspection rejected its objections.
During the inspection, two areas of errors were identified. The first one was related to the preparation and the missing permits, while the second area of errors concerned the repair itself. Allegedly, more stone blocks were replaced than recommended by the diagnostic survey, and there was also criticism of the manner in which the stone components of the bridge were processed during the repair.
The factory method of producing stone blocks is foreign to this building, according to independent experts, including Martin Pavala from the Academy of Fine Arts, who participated in the restoration of the interior of St. Anne's Church in Prague. The ministry's inspection later stated that the repair has been carried out better since the time of its discovery, depending on how the initial phases of repairs are rectified.
The Ministry of Culture (MK) did not want to comment on the matter today. "Officially, we do not know anything, so we cannot comment," said MK spokesman Jan Cieslar to ČTK.
The city imposed the fine on itself, as the city hall's cultural department acts as a state administration authority in this case. Thus, the money from the fine will remain in the city budget, merely being transferred from one chapter to another.
The reconstruction of the bridge began in August 2007. Last November, the MK stated that the aesthetic and artistic value of the bridge had been severely damaged during the repair.
Currently, the road surface and the railing on the bridge are being repaired. In addition to new insulation, new engineering networks will be laid out in the monument to restore gas lighting. This phase should be completed by June 2010, after which the stone cladding of the bridge will be reconstructed from the outside.