Petition demands bridge work stop

The cost of restoration work on Charles Bridge is nearly 450,000 Kč ($25,900) per meter, and vital documents are missing on how work should be done to the iconic structure, according to the organizer of a public petition demanding a halt to the project.

The petition, which started Oct. 4, already has more than 4,000 signatures, a sign of growing public frustration at the manner of reconstruction. The petition highlights examples of what its backers consider to be shoddy workmanship and asks people to sign up "to save one of the symbols of Czech history."

"The petition will last until construction is stopped," petition organizer and engineer Martin Kadrman said. "We are also calling for research into construction methods, which has not yet been done."

Kadrman, who is in contact with UNESCO over the bridge, is particularly concerned with the bridge's walkway and railing, whose original Petřín sandstone blocks are being discarded. According to Kardrman, the quarry from which these stones had been taken no longer exists, as it has been exhausted. Finances are also of major concern to him.

"The petition will last until construction is stopped."

"One meter of bridge costs 446,000 Kč," he said.

Kadrman also claims research was not carried out into the bridge's historic uniqueness and value.

Repair work on the 15th-century structure started in August 2007, and, while the current phase is scheduled to end in 2010, few expect it will meet that deadline. In August, The Prague Post highlighted public and official concern over the repairs and reported that City Hall was fining itself 54,000 Kč over the slow pace of work and for what one official described as administrative and technical failings. At the time, the National Landmark Institute agreed some of the work had been below expectation.

"We created a commission to oversee work on the bridge, but there have been problems with the repairs, especially on the stonework," said institute spokeswoman Zdeňka Kalová in August.

According to Kadrman, an agreement was signed 50 years ago specifying that any work on the bridge must remain as true as possible to the original materials. The agreement stated that modern work could only be done if original materials and techniques were no longer available. However, Kadrman says crucial documents on how repair work has been carried out over the past 50 years are missing.

"City Hall denies this," he said. "They say the documentation is there, but, if you look at it, the past 50 years are missing."

City Hall has been quick to defend the work and criticize the petition and the motives behind it.

"The petition only repeats what has been said in previous months. It is interesting that reconstruction has been going on for two years, and this group sprang up only a month ago," said Michaela Půlpánová, a City Hall architect from the Department of Historical Monuments. "We do not assume the bridge is their primary interest, but more about drawing attention to themselves."

However, Půlpánová did admit mistakes had been made.

"There have been mistakes, which happens with practically every reconstruction," she said.

- Petr Cibulka Jr. contributed to this report.

Tom Clifford can be reached at
tclifford@praguepost.com