According to the designers, the original historic bridge could be moved closer to the center between the new railway bridge and the adjacent Palackého bridge and serve as a leisure space.

However, the citizens’ initiative Nebourat.cz disagrees with the new bridge, while its petition against the demolition of the original structure was signed by more than nine thousand people. It is also supported by many public figures. They argue with foreign studies that the bridge is still repairable and according to which it could serve for many more years. In addition, the railway bridge on the Výton is fully equipped with a cultural monument of the Prague Monument Reserve. The Ministry of Transport also intervened in the situation yesterday, when its boss Martin Kupka (ODS) convened an expert colloquium at the bridge to assess its current condition and repairability.

“Podskalí and its railway bridge are an indispensable part of the scenic dialogue, without which today’s Prague would not be Prague,” says architect Mirko Baum, who designed, for example, the footbridge for pedestrians and cyclists over Orlica in Hradec Králové or the Comenius Bridge in Jaroměř.

Lidovky.cz: Do you think that the petition for the preservation of the railway bridge will be successful and the historic bridge will remain in its place?