The unique Santini staircase in Plasy is undergoing the main phase of repairs

Plasy - The former Cistercian monastery in Plasy, located in northern Pilsen, has embarked on the main phase of the repair of the unique self-supporting staircase designed by Santini. This representative staircase in the convent building, which was built in the 20s to 30s of the 18th century, sank in 2004 and has since been temporarily secured. The main work on this unique piece is expected to be completed before the season. The monastery's custodian, Pavel Duchoň, stated this to ČTK.
    “It is the main access staircase to the building. Every visitor who comes to the monastery for a guided tour passes through it, as do most people attending cultural events,” he noted.
    According to Duchoň, the staircase is a significant construction puzzle. It is self-supporting and lacks a pin into which the steps could be anchored; there is no wall in the middle for the stairs to lean against. “It’s as if it were waving in the air,” the custodian remarked.
    The work of Jan Blažej Santini Aichel is unique in that it also functions as a shaft through which warm air is distributed into the building. In the past, monks who inhabited the convent would heat the structure before winter. Additionally, the staircase is located above a massive pool, where the height, temperature, and quality of the water are carefully monitored four times a day, as the monastery stands on thousands of wooden piles driven into the ground and surrounded by water.
    “Currently, wooden elements are being replaced and supplemented, the whole thing will be plastered, braces will be removed, and the bottom of the steps will be restored, along with the micro-ventilation system. It should thus undergo the final phase of repair, returning to its original beauty,” Duchoň noted. Smaller finishing works are also planned for the next tourist season.
    The oak staircase, which features a monumental railing weighing over a ton, must withstand the influx of 20,000 people annually. This work connects the ground floor and the first floor of the building and also serves as an aesthetic element of the convent.
    The repair of the staircase will cost approximately one million crowns.