Sculptor Váňa has anchored in Prague with parts for the restoration of the Marian Column

Prague - Sculptor Petr Váňa and other stonemasons brought parts for the restoration of the Marian Column to Prague today by boat. They set sail from Stará Boleslav early in the morning. They reached the Vltava River via Mělník and docked around 5:30 PM near Charles Bridge and the Four Seasons hotel. In addition to about 250 stone pieces, they also brought a cast of the statue of the Virgin Mary and a Corinthian capital for the column that they are finishing. They plan to stay on the Vltava for a month before installing the entire column in the Old Town Square. However, Váňa still has not received permission from Prague 1 for the land occupation. Therefore, despite having a valid construction permit, he should not start the work.

At the Prague Venice marina, a small group of supporters greeted the crew of the boat carrying the Marian Column with cheers of "glory." A musical performance was also prepared. After less than an hour of docking, the crew stepped onto the quay, where a toast was made in the name of the Virgin Mary.

The approximately sixty-ton load was being loaded by Váňa with his associates on Monday in Stará Boleslav using a crane. Trucks had brought the parts from Josefov, where they had previously been stored.

On Saturday at 4 PM, the Society for the Restoration of the Marian Column will hold a public meeting in the Old Town Square. Váňa plans to present the project to the people there, bring the first stone, and start uncovering the pavement again. Today, Váňa told reporters that it is not necessary for them to dig on the square again on Saturday. "We have started construction; we have entered it into the construction journal, and no one has disputed it. The construction has been officially started, and we are continuing with it," he stated. The boat that brought the stones will now serve as a construction site.

Váňa is unlikely to obtain the occupation permission he requested at the end of May or the entrance permission by Saturday. According to Váňa's statement today, this is not excluded. "We received a statement that we need to supplement the work schedule and the consent of the landowner; we will supplement that," Váňa said. "We have the consent of the landowner; it is a document that has been issued. I consulted everything with a lawyer who prepared that document for me," he added. CTK has not yet been able to obtain an official statement from the TSK. "The construction office of Prague 1 has received a request for land occupation, which, however, contained formal deficiencies. The applicant has been asked to supplement the request, which has not been done as of today. The proceedings are now solely in the competence of the state administration," stated Prague 1 spokeswoman Kateřina Písačková.

Váňa obtained the construction permit for rebuilding the Marian Column in its original location in 2017. This July, its validity will expire. According to Váňa and his associates, the construction permit should not lose its validity because the construction has begun.

Thousands of people contributed to the restoration of the Marian Column. Twenty cities also significantly participated. Váňa approached the cities where the Marian Column stands several years ago asking for support. For example, Olomouc and Hořice purchased stone for the production. The names of all the cities are inscribed on the stones. The total costs for the production of the column amount to over four million crowns, according to the Society for the Restoration of the Marian Column on its website.

Váňa and his associates began the restoration of the column in the Old Town Square at the end of May. They were interrupted by municipal police. The sculptors then had to return the place to its original state.

The Society for the Restoration of the Marian Column considers the erection of the column in the 17th century a symbol and a reminder of the defenders of Prague during the Thirty Years' War and a significant work of art from which Baroque sculpture in Bohemia derived. In contrast, opponents consider it a symbol of Habsburg dominance and intolerant recatholicization of the country. Both groups regularly come to argue and present their petitions to the Prague council.