The sprayers will not paint on the pillars of the Nusle Bridge

Prague - The organizers of the event have abandoned plans to paint the pillars of the Nusle Bridge, which was to be part of the upcoming exhibition of street art and graffiti. It will begin on September 10 at the Gallery of the Capital City of Prague. Painting the pillars of the bridge was supposed to be a complementary event, supported by the city, but it did not have the necessary approvals from the heritage protectors. The last living co-author of the bridge's design, Stanislav Hubička, is also protesting the event, and a petition has been created, signed by several hundred people.
However, there is also a petition on the web for painting the bridge, which has been signed by over 2500 graffiti lovers. Nevertheless, the bridge will remain as it is for now. "We would like to find another place for the artists coming to Prague. It will probably be Meet Factory; one of them has already painted in Trafačka," said Pavel Vrba, the organizer, to ČTK today.
The event, originally planned for the end of August, had the patronage of Prague councilor Alexandra Udženije (ODS) and was to be sponsored by companies with municipal participation. "Prague is integrating itself into the world metropolises that support modern street art. We are giving space to young artists who will transform the dull gray of the Nusle Bridge into an extraordinary sight," the councilor stated regarding the project. However, the organizers circumvented the legal obligation by not requesting an opinion from the heritage protectors, which is necessary because the bridge is located in a heritage zone.
The National Heritage Institute would likely not recommend painting the pillars. According to them, it would be an invasive intervention into Prague's heritage zone and the construction itself. "The paint can penetrate the surface of the concrete, and its subsequent removal may be impractical, or possible only at the cost of damaging the surface of the pillars, incurring high costs, or environmental strain," said NPÚ spokesperson Zdeňka Kalová to ČTK earlier.
Architect Hubička considered the possible painting as "an undignified intervention into his authorship, but also an intervention into the valley of the central part of the city, which is located in a significant and visually strongly exposed part of Prague." In the artistic processing of the bridge, he deliberately used viewable concrete that was created by a demanding method of formwork realization. "My concept was therefore based on the aesthetic brutalist processing of the structure, whose color is the intent of depicting my work," states Hubička.