Přerov residents can now use the new Tyrš Bridge

Přerov - Residents and visitors of Přerov can now use the new Tyrš Bridge across the Bečva River, which the local city hall has built for approximately 120 million crowns. According to the original plan, the bridge was supposed to be opened on Tuesday. However, city councilors expedited the date due to the fire on a nearby footbridge, which is closed, said city hall spokesman Bohuslav Přidal to ČTK.
     "The city leadership today decided to open the bridge early because people from the affected area would have difficulty getting to the city center after the footbridge was damaged. Nevertheless, the opening celebrations for the Tyrš Bridge, planned for Tuesday, which will include the flyover of military helicopters and a concert by Věra Špinarová, will take place," the spokesman said.
     The footbridge over the Bečva River caught fire on Friday evening. It primarily damaged the electrical installations running beneath it. Due to the incident, part of the city was without electricity for several hours.
     The new bridge is among the largest investments in Přerov in recent years. The city hall wanted to symbolically open it on the day when Nazis blew it up at the end of World War II. The new design of the Tyrš Bridge, which the city began constructing in August 2010, is based on a proposal by architect Alena Šrámková. The construction has one peculiar feature; ornithologists advocated for the creation of artificial swallow nests on the underside of the structure.
     The construction has brought to Přerov not only a new connection between the banks of the Bečva but also revealed some of the city's history. Archaeologists found the foundations of the Renaissance church of St. Mark in the southern foothills. The sacred building is also significant because it was associated with prominent figures from the local Unity of the Brethren, including Jan Amos Komenský.