Praha will have the Hroší lázně by the Barrandov Bridge demolished, wants to prevent a collapse

photo: vetrelciavolavky.cz

Prague – Prague will have two concrete sculptures at the Barrandov Bridge known as Hippo Baths demolished. The Technical Administration of Communications (TSK) will first prepare project documentation for a possible future replica. The demolition is intended to prevent a similar situation that occurred in mid-July when the concrete sculpture Balance collapsed at the same bridge. The intention was highlighted today by the server PrahaIN. This was confirmed to ČTK by the spokesperson of the Prague City Hall, Vít Hofman.

The sculptures nicknamed Hippo Baths or Elephant Feeders are two large concrete sculptures covering the staircase at Barrandov Bridge. They were designed by the bridge's architect, Karel Filsak, and were created at the turn of the 1980s and 1990s.

According to Hofman, TSK will first prepare project documentation for a potential future replica and then proceed to demolish the sculptures. The aim is to prevent a situation similar to that which occurred with the sculpture Balance, which collapsed spontaneously on Friday, July 17. "The possible creation of replicas of these objects will be up to the decision of the political representation," added Hofman.

The concrete sculptures in the shape of large bowls were completed in 1988. Later, they began to be used by supporters of so-called industrial alpinism, in which climbers conquer various urban structures.

The six-meter high sculpture Balance from 1990 by sculptor Josef Klimeš collapsed onto the adjacent roadway and bike path, but no one was injured. Prague councilors subsequently approved the creation of its replica. The restoration of the sculptures was not part of the two-year reconstruction of the Barrandov Bridge from 1983, which ended in the autumn of 2024.