Štvanická bridge over the Vltava connected Holešovice and Karlín a year ago

Prague - A year ago, on July 28, 2023, the Štvanická footbridge was opened to pedestrians and cyclists, connecting Holešovice and Karlín across the Vltava River. The new structure links both city districts via Štvanice Island. It can be accessed from the Holešovice bank of the Vltava at Bubenské embankment, in Karlín it leads to Rohanské embankment onto the cycle path running along the flood barrier. The footbridge, the twentieth crossing of the Vltava in its entirety in the metropolis, is approximately 300 meters long and its construction cost 352 million crowns.

One of the winning projects of the Building of the Year 2023 survey spans 38 meters between Karlín and Štvanice, 149 meters between Štvanice and Holešovice, with the remainder consisting mainly of the section above the island. It consists of more than fifty segments that were manufactured in a concrete plant, transported to the site, and assembled together. The footbridge includes artworks, including the sculpture River by sculptor Jan Hendrych. The statue measures 185 centimeters and stands on a high round pedestal at the foot of the ramp at Štvanice. Bronze railings are adorned with sculptures of hares at Štvanice, bulls in Holešovice, and horses in Karlín. The footbridge is also coated with an anti-graffiti paint.

Before the opening of the footbridge, people could walk from Karlín to Holešovice over the busy Hlávkův Bridge or take a detour via Rohansky Island and Libeň Bridge. From Hlávkův Bridge to Štvanice was either via the now non-operational ferry. The footbridge is also an important link for cyclists as it connects the main cycle paths along both banks of the Vltava.

The competition for the footbridge connecting Karlín and Holešovice was first announced by Prague 7 back in 1999. However, the winning design could not be implemented due to changes in flood protection measures following the devastating floods in 2002. The footbridge that has now been built is prepared for the threat of high water, as the last span at the bank in Holešovice is a lifting span.

The Štvanická footbridge, which was formerly colloquially referred to by an abbreviation derived from parts of the names of the two city districts, HolKa, began to take shape after years of debate at the end of 2016 when the city council decided to announce an architectural competition. A total of 48 candidates participated, and in December 2017, the winning design of architect Petr Tej and his associates for the footbridge in the form of a reinforced concrete structure made of prefabricated parts was selected.

The construction tender for the footbridge was won in July 2021 by Skanska. Work began in January 2022 and was expected to last 14 months, until last February or March. However, the construction was delayed due to more complicated geological conditions in the navigation channel than anticipated.

The price also increased to 352 million, the original construction cost was 280 million crowns. According to Deputy Mayor Zdeněk Hřib (Pirates), the increase was caused by two main factors. "First, there were problems during the foundation of the pillars in the riverbed of the Vltava, which is unfortunately a very common problem. The geology here is very complicated, and although geological surveys were conducted, you dig a little to the side and you are in a different geological layer. The second issue was the modifications to the surroundings, which were not supposed to be so extensive," said Hřib.

The Štvanická footbridge is the twentieth crossing in Prague over the Vltava in its entirety. The last time the capital opened a bridge was in October 2020, the Troja footbridge connecting Císařský Island and Troja. This construction replaced the original one, which collapsed in December 2017. Currently, the city is also building the Dvorecký bridge, which will connect from the Smíchov distillery to Podolí and will be designated only for pedestrians, cyclists, and public transportation, though rescue workers will also be able to use it. The most recent bridge in Prague that serves cars, public transport, pedestrians, and cyclists is the Troja bridge, opened in 2014.