The civic associations met in Prague with a UNESCO mission

Prague - Representatives of the Association of Societies for the Protection and Development of Cultural Heritage (ASORKD), the Arnika movement, and other civic associations met yesterday for about an hour with representatives of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). According to Petr Kužvart, who participated in the discussions on behalf of the Atelier for the Environment, the topics included high-rise buildings in Pankrác, the Blanka Tunnel, Charles Bridge, and the Prague Monument Reserve as a whole, particularly the sanitation intervention in the courtyard between Wenceslas Square and the streets of Panská, Jindřišská, and Na Příkopech.
    The Vice President of ASORKD, Martin Kadrman, claimed in his speech, which is available to ČTK, that Prague is violating both Czech laws and the Venice Charter, which Czechoslovakia signed in 1964 and which obligates signatories to restore monuments using traditional techniques, as well as the 2002 Convention on the Protection of Architectural Heritage in Europe.
    "I have called on the members of the working committee to visit and request a visit to the storage facility at Šutka, where the stones (from Charles Bridge) are stored,” Kadrman said.
    According to Kužvart, the committee is likely to meet again on Thursday with the Club for Old Prague and the Czech branch of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) "It seems they are looking for different informants from various sides,” he said. The meeting at the mayor's residence was also attended by Zdeněk Novák, the section director of the Ministry of Culture.
    Since 5:15 PM, a group of demonstrators has been standing in front of the mayor's residence, disagreeing with the repair process of Charles Bridge. They had several banners. One had the inscription "Pay your taxes and be silent!" Below it was a photograph of Mayor Pavel Bém, looking at the Czech coronation jewels. Another said "Gravedigger of Charles Bridge,” along with a crossed-out photograph of the director of the city department of culture and heritage care, Jan Kněžínka. According to one of the organizers, there were about 30 demonstrators, monitored by several city guards and police officers.
    Opponents of the repair of Charles Bridge demand that work be stopped immediately. They are preparing to file additional criminal complaints regarding the alleged loss of historically valuable stone blocks. Last October, opponents of the repairs filed a criminal complaint, seeking to verify the legal deficiencies in the approval of the reconstruction.
    The UNESCO World Heritage Committee meets once a year, usually in June or July. Last June, the committee expressed "its deep concern over the potential impacts of the Blanka tunnel complex" at a meeting in Seville, Spain. This year, committee members will meet in Brazil.
    The UNESCO World Heritage Committee decides which monuments will be inscribed on the World Heritage List. However, the committee can also reclassify monuments to the list of endangered monuments and subsequently remove them from the official list.