Representatives want the bridge in Dobříš to be declared a monument.

Dobříš - The representatives of Dobříš in the Příbram region today supported the effort to declare the stone bridge over the Pilský stream as a cultural monument. The structure is in poor condition, and the regional road management intends to replace it with a new bridge. The Dobříš Beautification Society disagrees with the demolition and has initiated a petition for the bridge to be declared a cultural monument. The Ministry of Culture is already addressing the proposal.

According to the petition, the bridge was built around 1830 as a miniature replica of the Charles Bridge in Prague. Petr Kadlec, the chairman of the Beautification Society, pointed out that this is the last classic stone bridge in Dobříš that has survived to the present day. The petition for the preservation of the original bridge had 579 signatures as of January 7, including 255 residents of the town.

Today, the representatives heard from Pavel Vermach, who submitted the proposal for cultural monument status to the Ministry of Culture. According to Vermach, the ministry first forwarded the proposal for review to the National Heritage Institute (NPÚ), which took about three months. Last week, the NPÚ issued a statement supporting the proposal for monument status. The city and the owner of the structure, which is the Central Bohemian Region, now have to express their opinions on the matter. How long the process will take is unclear according to Vermach, as it will also depend on the responses from the contacted participants.

The bridge allegedly was built in memory of a tragic event when a carriage with the bride Maria Anna Kloibrová from Český Krumlov overturned in a ford in June 1829, and the girl drowned in the swollen Pilský stream. The construction was financed by her family. People turned to Saint John of Nepomuk with a request for the protection of this site, and in connection with this, a statue of him was erected on the bridge.