Graffiti on the New Town Walls: Cleaning did not last for hundreds of thousands
The view of the spray-painted New Town walls, which have been on the UNESCO list for thirty years, was one of many Praguers. A huge free area protected by greenery attracts sprays like a magnet. They then do not hesitate to scribble several meters of inscriptions on the historical masonry, which, moreover, they appear in the most glaring colors, so that their “masterpiece” can be seen from a distance.
Residents of not only Prague 2 have long appealed to the town hall to have graffiti removed. The problem, however, is that Prague 2 does not manage the walls, the Prague City Council is in charge. “Our main task was to remind the municipality that the walls of the New Town needed to be cleaned, ”Says Jaroslav Němec (Prague Pirates), a representative of Prague 2, who is also a member of the property and cultural commission.
Long preparations
“Most of the public think that it would be enough to come up with a steam cleaner and it would be after graffiti. Unfortunately, the process is much more complicated with such old historical masonry, that’s why I decided to bring it closer to people on social networks as well, “says Němec.
In the case of monuments with historical masonry, the preparation is many times more complicated and time-consuming than the cleaning itself. This is mainly because it is often a masonry composed of several components. Here you will find stones, mortar, but also bricks, and each of these materials needs a specific approach so as not to damage. Among the discussants was a suggestion that it could be made for individual monuments, which would shorten the decision-making process.
“I think it is possible to have a procedure in place for how to approach the removal of a specific monument. Ie. that Charles Bridge, for example this material will be processed, confirmed by conservationists and can be followed, without a new report being prepared again and again, “thinks the Prague representative Petr Zeman (Prague Sobě), who is, among other things, a member of the City Council Commission. m of Prague for monument care.
“When it comes to cleaning historic masonry, you need to do probes first. This is one of the reasons why it cannot be said that the New Town walls will be cleaned in this way and Charles Bridge in a different way, ”explains Němec. “I never know what the stone is saturated with – lyes, salts, dyes, binders – it all reacts differently to new measures. Even with steam blasting, we can’t be sure that we won’t sit with the unwanted inscription and the top layers of the stone, “adds Marie Foltýnová from the Department of Public Sculpture Administration of the Gallery of the Capital City of Prague. “But the goal is not to clean everything. In the phase when the layers are disappearing and the inscription is still visible, we are approaching a sensitive retouch. We respect the historicity of the monument, “adds Foltýnová.
Cameras would help
It is therefore clear from the described processes that the cleaning of a historical monument is not only time consuming, but also costs a lot of money. “I don’t know the exact number yet, but we are in the hundreds of thousands for cleaning to such an extent,” says Němec. A possible solution could be to install cameras that record the premises 24 hours a day. Police officers, whether state or city, would thus have a better chance of intervening, catch the perpetrator and let him pay for the damage and subsequent cleaning.
The road to the Bastion reopened in Folimanka Park in Prague 2 after three years.
Author: Prague 2 district