A new Art Nouveau bridge will open in Chrastava

Chrastava (Liberec Region) - A new bridge over the Jeřice River will open today in Chrastava, Liberec Region. It has been built on the site of an Art Nouveau steel bridge that was swept away by a flood two years ago, along with eight other bridges and five walkways in the town. The more than one-hundred-year-old bridge was one of the most valuable monuments and a sentimental issue for the people of Chrastava; for this reason, the new bridge is a replica of the original, at least in the upper part. It will be ceremonially opened by President Václav Klaus.
     Chrastava is among the towns in the Liberec Region that were most affected by the floods in August 2010. The flood wave passed through the town twice, inundating the center to more than a meter high. At that time, damage to municipal property alone amounted to 180 million crowns. The swollen Jeřice undercut the banks, and the Art Nouveau bridge collapsed into the riverbed, with only a single public lighting pole miraculously remaining on the riverbank. The reinforced concrete structure had to be dismantled and cut up so that it wouldn't block the river. The pole and parts of the railing were successfully salvaged.
     The construction of the new bridge began in June and it took only four months to complete. Initially, it did not belong to the town hall, which only took care of its maintenance. The bridge and the connecting road belonged to the region, which, however, did not plan for reconstruction after the floods, prompting Chrastava to request the transfer of the road and bridge into its ownership. It is an important transportation artery. For the restoration of the bridge, the town hall received 90 percent of the necessary funds from the state, the region contributed 2.5 million, and residents from the partner town of Eichstätt in Bavaria also contributed.