Praha will replace the icebreakers that protect the pillars of the Charles Bridge

Prague - The Prague city company Technická správa komunikací (TSK) will begin replacing the wooden icebreakers that protect all seven pillars of the Charles Bridge in mid-June. The cost will be 29.5 million crowns. Preparatory work has already started, and the entire replacement will last until the end of the year. TSK spokesperson Barbora Lišková informed about this in a press release. The interrupted overall reconstruction will also continue, focusing on the bridge arches in the coming years. In the past, the city had the roadway and railings repaired.

"According to our surveys, the pillars are in good condition, but the state of the icebreakers in front of them has deteriorated rapidly in recent years," said TSK General Director Jozef Sinčák, adding that TSK wants to address the situation before starting the repairs on the arches. The existing icebreakers have been in place since 2004, and the Charles Bridge is the only one of the Prague bridges that uses them.

The icebreakers will be made from oak wood, just like the previous ones. However, the last time the city had it delivered from France; now it will be sourced from the Moravský Krumlov area and Strážnice. The wood has been processed and supplied by a sawmill in Kamenný Přívoz near Prague in cooperation with the Research and Development Institute of Woodworking and the Architectural and Civil Engineering Design Studio.

According to earlier information, the repair of the arches of the famous bridge is expected to take about 20 years, and the costs for one arch are estimated to be several tens of millions of crowns.

Construction of the bridge was started on July 9, 1357, at the behest of Charles IV, by the stonemason Otlín, who had gained experience in building an older stone bridge in Roudnice nad Labem. The founder of the Charles Bridge was not Petr Parléř, as is traditionally believed. He was 23 years old and could not legally build any structure in his name. Parléř took over the project only after Otlín's death.

The then-stone bridge, now called Charles Bridge, was established at the site of the demolished Judith Bridge. It stood on round stones resembling millstones. The facing masonry was made of sandstone, and the core was made of broken Petřín limestone mixed with mortar. After repairs, all original stones are being stored for future use. Currently, about 500 stones from the railing repair are kept in storage at Šutka.