The opponent of the method of repairing Charles Bridge will be heard by the UNESCO mission

Prague - The arguments of the opponents of the method of repairing Charles Bridge, who demonstrated today against the alleged destruction of this monument during the reconstruction, will be heard by representatives of the UNESCO mission on Wednesday evening. Martin Kadrman, vice president of the Association of Associations for the Protection and Development of Cultural Heritage (ASORKD), told journalists today.
The opponents demand an immediate halt to the repairs. They plan to file additional criminal charges concerning the alleged loss of historically valuable stone blocks. Already last October, opponents of the repairs filed a criminal complaint, seeking to investigate legal deficiencies in the permitting of the reconstruction.
"It is official, members of the UNESCO commission have requested our participation from the city hall," Kadrman said. The UNESCO mission came to Prague to mainly examine the impacts of the Blanka tunnel on the Prague monument reservation.
According to the organizers, the protest today was attended by police and 150 to 200 people. The opponents of the repairs symbolically placed the figures of Prague Mayor Pavel Bém (ODS) and the director of the Department of Culture and Heritage Protection of the Prague City Hall, Jan Kněžánek, into a basket and bathed them in the Vltava "in disgrace and as a warning to similar dishonest individuals". Allegedly for failing to ensure the protection of Charles Bridge and that "the distortion of its qualities is still being prevented."
"We want to stop the construction immediately, as we are convinced that its continuation is further destruction of Charles Bridge," Kadrman said. According to him, this is confirmed not only by the heritage inspection of the Ministry of Culture but also by the Club for Old Prague.
The reconstruction has already been going on for two years. The heritage inspection of the Ministry of Culture found deficiencies in the documentation of the construction as well as in the restoration procedures themselves. Allegedly, more stone blocks were replaced than recommended by the survey. Inspectors were also dissatisfied with the way the stones in the bridge's railing were processed. The work on the bridge has reportedly significantly disrupted the authenticity of this national cultural monument.
The association wants to draw attention to the alleged deficiencies at a meeting scheduled for Wednesday evening at the mayor's residence. According to them, 26 stone blocks, many of which are over 150 years old, could not be traced from the list published by the construction company SMP CZ. "Out of 32 sections of Charles Bridge, we focused on just one. From that, we were unable to trace 26 stone blocks," Kadrman pointed out. Several medieval stones, such as a Romanesque block from Judith's Bridge, have been irrevocably destroyed, he added.
A petition for an immediate halt to the works has already been signed by nearly 40,000 people. The National Heritage Institute (NPÚ) was initially very critical of the reconstruction of Charles Bridge. Even in November, it stated that if the current method of repairing the bridge does not change, it could cause irreparable damage. The quality of the work at that time, according to NPÚ, still did not correspond to the significance of the monument. However, in today's press release, NPÚ stated that corrective measures defined by the city hall in December are now being implemented during the reconstruction.
Last week, the Plzeň County Office initiated administrative proceedings with the Prague City Hall regarding the repairs of Charles Bridge. The Prague city hall, which is the investor of the repairs, was originally supposed to decide on any potential sanctions. However, the Ministry of Culture transferred the case to Plzeň in the interest of independence.