Petition for the Preservation of the Charles Bridge

I hereby demand the immediate suspension of construction work on the Charles Bridge until the investor and the construction company are prepared to carry out the restoration work in a manner appropriate to the significance of this monument, which is so important for the Czech nation and also for Europe’s heritage.

March 10, The New York Times, Czech Repair of Famed Charles Bridge Faces Protest

February 3, The Prague Post, UNESCO looks at bridge works

SHOCK!!

„The purpose of this ‘restoration’ is not restoration but technical repairs."

Pavel Kameník, Spokesman SMP CZ, 14.10.2009

Carles Bridge, 2008 year - YouTube.com

It is surely obvious to all that restoration work on the Charles Bridge has been carried out without proper expertise for many years now. The ‘professional repairs’ were carried out without the public being aware of it – due to the inaccessibility of one of the supporting pillars. (Photo taken from "O.Ševců a kol, Karlův most, Praha 2007")

Fellow citizens, this is not a naïve protest on the part of conservation experts. We are protesting against a serious violation of Czech law. In the case of the Charles Bridge – a protected National Cultural Monument –,  basic requirements were simply not met; we consider this to be absolutely scandalous.

Work on the fabric of the bridge and the stone balustrade was begun in April 2007. In March 2009, the Supervisory Commission was set up. Architects, restorers and other experts were appointed to it. The commission complained that it was bewildered by the way in which the repair work on the Charles Bridge was being undertaken. According to these experts, it did not meet the standards applied in the case of other restored monuments of similar significance.

The commission also warned of ‘grave consequences’, should fundamental and qualitative changes not be implemented. It is, therefore, vital for the owner of the Charles Bridge (i.e. the City of Prague) to suspend all ongoing work and to arrange for corrections to be made. The suspension of this work has also been demanded by the National Institute for the Conservation of Historic Monuments. Regrettably, the restoration work has not yet come to a halt!

Significant defects in the restoration of the Charles Bridge were also emphasised in last year’s Conservation Inspection Report (see ‘Documents’). Its findings conclude that preparations for the restoration work was not made properly. There was no survey of the history of the bridge’s construction nor of its cultural history. Detailed documentation was not provided. The methods used during the restoration of the balustrade were not carefully considered and approved in advance. The side-effects are devastating: pneumatic drills and mechanical stone-cutters were used on this national monument. The dismantling of the balustrade was more like demolition work. For example, one of the original mediaeval building blocks was cut in half and left to deteriorate (see Conservation Inspection Report).

All together, about thirty per cent of the stone blocks from the balustrade – all in good condition, in our opinion – were marked unfit for use in reconstruction and were set aside; some were destroyed in a hammer mill. No written evidence was ever presented. Some of the original hand-cut mediaeval building blocks were replaced by industrially produced prefabricated elements. The shapes, sizes and types of these new materials do not correspond in quality to the material used in the original construction. In addition, the restoration work has been conducted amateurishly; ancient stones are still being hacked off, the re-pointing does not in any way meet professional standards, mortar is oozing out over the original building blocks, etc.

The findings of the Supervisory Commission and the conservation inspection authority are alarming! Even more shocking is the fact that the City of Prague and SMP CZ repeatedly deny all accusations. As mentioned above, the monuments constructional soundness is being compromised due to the lack of proper planning; something must be done before the next phase of the restoration work!

The Charles Bridge is formally owned by the City of Prague, but in fact it belongs to the whole nation. Thus we implore our fellow citizens: ‘Help us to halt the ruin of the Charles Bridge – sign our petition for this unique National Monument!’ The Association for the Conservation and Development of the Cultural Heritage (ASORKD) demands the immediate suspension of all restoration work on the Charles Bridge!

We demand that the reconstruction of this National Monument be executed by a company which has a proven record in the conservation and reconstruction of historical buildings. The fact that the City of Prague’s historical monuments and buildings have been listed as one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites obliges us to ensure the preservation of the Charles Bridge, this national treasure, for generations to come.

                                                                                                                               In Prague, 1.10.2009