Polička will repair the heritage-listed steel bridge by the end of October

Polička – Despite a drop in income caused by the coronavirus pandemic, Polička will complete the repair of the historic riveted steel bridge by the end of October, which was declared a cultural monument last year. The city succeeded with two grant applications, receiving about 1.5 million crowns from the Ministry of Culture. The cost of the repair will be approximately 6.5 million crowns including VAT, said Mayor Jaroslav Martinů (ODS) to ČTK.

"The lower steel beams were in very poor condition, they had to be temporarily supported and needed to be replaced. Otherwise, the structure is fine given its age, the railing just needs to be sandblasted and repainted," Martinů stated. The stone masonry pillars are also without significant defects and will be repaired after draining the pond in the fall.

The original asphalt on the bridge will be replaced with wooden planks. In the past, there was also cobblestone paving.

The riveted steel truss bridge, approximately 20 meters long and 4.3 meters wide, is supported by stone embankment pillars and has been a technical monument since June last year. Originally a road bridge, it currently serves only pedestrians. It documents the development of bridge construction in the Czech Republic at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries.

The bridge over the protrusion of the Synský pond was built in 1901 as a connection between the only original gate in the city's fortifications and the Neo-Renaissance palace building of the teacher training institute, later a gymnasium, which was completed simultaneously in 1901. The main idea of the urban concept was to create a second city panorama as a counterbalance to the skyline of the old town, with educational facilities in between. The industrial appearance of the structure enriches the composed park environment from the same period. The bridge also connected the historic core of Polička with the new urban district beyond the Synský pond.

According to the company label, the bridge was manufactured by the Prague Bridge Works, a branch of the First Czech-Moravian Machinery Factory in Prague, later known as ČKD. It is depicted in several historical postcards from before 1916, likely shortly after its completion.