The association will turn to the state prosecutor's office regarding the railway bridge at Výtoň

Prague - The initiative "Don't Demolish," which filed a criminal complaint regarding the railway bridge under Vyšehrad in Prague, disagrees with the police's decision to archive the case. It will submit a proposal for supervisory action to the state prosecutor's office. The organization stated this in a press release today. It insists that the Railway Administration (SŽ) allowed the monument to decay and that either specific individuals or SŽ as a legal entity bear responsibility for the billion-crown damage incurred.

"It is absolutely unbelievable that on one hand you have the inspection reports clearly stating that the bridge needs maintenance, and on the other hand clear evidence that responsible individuals ignored these reports and the bridge hasn't been touched for decades, and the Czech Police says that everything is fine," said co-founder Pavel Štorch.

The initiative claims that a deliberate criminal act has occurred, namely the abuse of property. According to the organization, this continues to the present day, as SŽ still has a legal obligation to maintain the bridge in good condition.

Abuse of property is committed by anyone who damages an important cultural interest by "destroying, damaging, rendering unusable, or misappropriating" an object of greater value that is protected by another legal regulation. Offenders may face up to two years in prison, a ban on activities, or confiscation of property. The police informed ČTK on Monday that, according to criminal investigators, the elements of the crime were not fulfilled.

SŽ previously stated that it had long warned about the poor condition of the bridge and the need to address the situation. They want to demolish the existing bridge and are seeking a location in collaboration with the Prague City Hall to relocate the bridge structure. In May of this year, they reported that they had begun looking for a designer for the construction of a new bridge, which is to have three tracks instead of the current two. The work is planned for the years 2027 to 2029, with costs estimated at 3.4 billion crowns.

According to experts, the bridge structure is a significant technical cultural monument in an exposed part of the Prague heritage reserve. Due to the poor condition of the bridge, only one train set can currently pass over it at a reduced speed of a maximum of 20 kilometers per hour at any given moment.