Pardubice did not approve the construction of the Jan Kašpar memorial

Pardubice - The Pardubice city council today did not approve the construction of a memorial to Jan Kašpar worth 2.7 million crowns. Two years ago, they decided to hold an architectural competition, which took place last year. The winning design in the form of a 37-meter high column with a wind sleeve and signal ultimately did not find majority support among the councilors.
    "I consider the price to be an absolutely unacceptable burden. The column won also because it was not financially demanding," said councilor Miroslav Rubeš (independent), who initiated the discussion about the construction of a memorial for the aviation pioneer three years ago. The original estimate for the memorial was 1.2 million crowns.
    Of the 28 present councilors, 14 voted for the memorial, while 20 votes were needed. The city has already spent 425,300 crowns on rewards for the winners of the architectural competition, the jurors, the exhibition, and the catalog. The city paid 370,000 crowns for the project documentation of the winning design. The winning column had supporters among the councilors as well. According to them, the price did not play a role in its selection.
    "For me, the beauty of the proposal lies in its simplicity," said councilor Josef Kubát (Association for Pardubice).
    The construction of the memorial on Míru Avenue would become more expensive due to its complicated installation. It would need to be secured into rock bed, which is twelve meters deep, said architect Petr Pinkas, who designed the memorial, at today's meeting.
    If the city hall wants to revive the project in the future, it will have more challenging conditions. Next year, the renovation of Míru Avenue will end, and new pavement would have to be dug up. "If we postpone the realization of the memorial, we will miss the opportunity to return to Míru Avenue without consequences," said the deputy mayor František Brendl (Pardubáci).
    Local aviators opposed architect Petr Pinkas's proposal with a petition, and it was also not favored by Kašpar's biographer Pavel Sviták. They would prefer a second proposal, a realistic bronze statue of the aviator with a giant Blériot propeller. Pinkas said today that he honored the aviator with the height, outlook, and verticality of the memorial.
    In the city, the aviator is commemorated by two memorial plaques and a memorial with a small model of the Blériot, with which Kašpar made the first flight to Chuchle in 1911. There could also have been a symbolic runway on Míru Avenue. It was proposed by Czech Television reporter David Macháček. He officially negotiated with the city and the architect of the project. Among other things, the city hall had concerns that it would be a change to the European project and a threat to funding for the repairs of the shopping street. It was also reportedly partially obscured by trees from one side and would not be visible.