On the square in Pilsen, they started laying pavement today, the asphalt is disappearing

Plzeň - Asphalt began to disappear from the Plzeň square today, being replaced by new gray-red and gray-green paving made of quartz, imported from Italy. Allegedly, no large Czech city has yet chosen a similar stone, which is often used for paving in France, Germany, and Austria. The builders are paving a sample by the plague column, which will be finished on Monday, said Mayor Miroslav Kalous to ČTK.
"Then we will approve it and endorse the continuation of work from the western side towards the eastern part," added the mayor. The sample of the paving will be evaluated by the Investment Department of the city of Plzeň (ÚIMP), architects, representatives of municipal and state heritage protectors, and a geologist from the Faculty of Civil Engineering at ČVUT, working for ÚIMP.
The construction, costing 155 million crowns, will last until November 2007, when the entire 1.6-hectare area is to be covered with very high-quality Italian porphyry, estimated to last hundreds of years. Quartz will be 70 percent gray-green and the rest gray-red. In the Republic Square, which will regain the appearance from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, summer restaurants, fountains, and benches will return.
The first phase of the renovation from the town hall to the Cathedral of St. Bartholomew will cost 43 million crowns. It began at the end of last year and will be completed on September 15, two months later than planned. "The reason for the delay is the archaeological survey. A well-preserved cemetery, a Renaissance fountain, remnants of a school from the late 16th century, and a medieval cesspool were discovered in the square," stated the director of ÚIMP Evžen Kaucký. The investor had to change the project. The pavement and the sub-base will go down to a depth of 50 centimeters. Below that was supposed to be an equally thick remediation layer, which the investor omitted in agreement with the heritage protectors to preserve historical remnants.
The first phase includes drainage of the area, collectors for networks, power supply connections, and a shaft for a future fountain in the corner of the square at Pražská Street.
The second phase of the central area renovation will begin on August 1. It will last until January 2007 and will cost 42 million crowns. In addition to new layers, it includes the removal of the central roadway and the construction of pillars for vendors. Municipal vehicles, which are currently parked on the roadway by the church, will park in front of the town hall starting at the end of September.
The last southern section will require 70 million crowns. It will start in May 2007 and finish in November. The construction of three fountains will require an additional 20 to 30 million crowns.
One third of the costs of all phases will be for the paving, its installation, and the base layers. Initially, the town hall considered using granite cubes left over from the renovation of American Avenue and French Street. "Porphyry is flatter than cobblestones, more walkable, safer, and has the same color," said Kalous.
The stone from the Trento area is quarried and has a slate-like structure. The maximum width of the joints will be 20 millimeters, usually up to 15 millimeters. "The construction will not require any traffic restrictions," added ÚIMP Deputy Ladislav Kadlec.