Prague is installing anti-terrorist barriers in the city center. They have to protect people in the markets
On busy locations in the capital on Friday, the Service Administration will install concrete barriers due to the Easter markets, which begin on Saturday. A total of 40 so-called city blocks will be deployed, each weighing 510 kilograms and measuring two meters.
The barriers will be on Wenceslas Square and Republic Square until April 29. Vít Hofman, a spokesman for the Prague municipality, informed about it on Friday. The location of the barriers is related to attacks in which terrorists drove into the crowd. In recent years, they have happened, for example, in Barcelona, London or Stockholm.
The service administration deploys barriers at the statue of St. Wenceslas and at the crossroads of Opletalova and Jindřišská streets on Wenceslas Square and Republic Square. “It does so on the basis of the request of the Police of the Czech Republic for the protection of soft targets in connection with the start of the Easter markets,” said Hofman. There are city blocks on the Old Town Square all year round.
In markets and other places with a higher number of people, such as cemeteries or historic ones, the city police are planning patrols during the holidays. In cemeteries, as every year, police officers focus on the prevention of theft and vandalism, and will also inspect parked vehicles. In selected cemeteries, the police on horseback will be dog handlers at night.
The frequently visited Easter markets on the Old Town Square start on Saturday. In ninety stalls, sellers will offer traditional assortment, decorations and Easter dishes. Other markets take place on Wenceslas Square and Republic Square. They will last until Sunday, April 28.