The restoration of the Great Tower of the Prague Gate in Vysoké Mýto will be more extensive

Vysoké Mýto – The restoration of the large tower of the Prague Gate in Vysoké Mýto, which will begin at the end of October, will be more extensive than originally planned. Initially, the city anticipated dismantling and replacing the ceiling above the upper room, which is affected by wood rot, followed by pest control measures. However, it will ultimately be necessary to completely repair the roof as well.

"We will use the constructed scaffolding to replace the damaged slate roofing and repair the truss, so we don't have to return to the tower in the coming years if the roof starts leaking," stated Mayor František Jiraský (Independents). Similarly, in previous years, the city replaced the unsatisfactory slate roofing on the bell tower and both towers of the Litomyšl Gate.

The roof restoration will take ten months. Later this year, builders will dismantle the suspended ceiling affected by wood rot and lay a new beam ceiling in its place. Some parts of the truss and portions of the purlin will be partially replaced. Repairs will continue in 2022, starting with the interior space of the tower. "At the beginning of April, we will replace the slate roofing, restore the gilded elements, and carry out roofing work,” said the head of the city development department, Ondřej Halama.

The restoration of the roof on the large tower of the Prague Gate will cost 8.3 million crowns. A third of the costs will be covered this year by a one-million crown grant from the Program for the Regeneration of Urban Heritage Reserves and Urban Heritage Zones, with the remaining two-thirds approximately paid by the city. The city will again apply for a grant from the Regeneration Program for the continuation of repairs next year. The completion of the construction work is expected in June of next year. During the summer, the public could once again view the Prague Gate, which has been closed this year due to the poor condition of the ceiling.

The Prague Gate is one of the three gates of Vysoké Mýto built in the 14th century as part of the stone city fortifications. Over time, these fortifications lost their military significance and began to be gradually demolished from the end of the 18th century. The Prague Gate was saved and repaired in the second half of the 19th century thanks to Alois Vojtěch Šembera. Access to the large tower, which serves as an observation point, is via a spiral staircase from the small tower and a bridge above the broken portal of the gate. The small tower has retained its brick battlements and high masonry roof. Above the Gothic portal, the city restored the sgraffito decoration based on the sketches of Mikoláš Aleš.