Stone Bridge (Písek)
The Stone Bridge ( Kamenný most in Czech ) in Písek , a south-western city of Bohemia, is one of the oldest bridges in Central Europe and the oldest bridge in the Czech Republic, and therefore even older than the better-known Charles Bridge in Prague. The bridge has been a national cultural monument since 1989 .
The Gothic building bridges the Otava River about 110 kilometers south of the capital Prague . Copies of baroque statues and crosses are placed along the entire length of the bridge. In 2002, a flood severely impaired the building fabric.
Name and legend
The bridge is sometimes called "Jelení" ( Deer Bridge). According to a legend, it was decided in the Middle Ages to name the bridge after the first one to cross it to the other side of the river. Then a deer from a nearby forest crossed the bridge. Nevertheless, the name Old Bridge (“starý most”) is more common in Písek .
In 2007 all the bridges in Písek were officially named, including the oldest: It has now been officially named the “Stone Bridge in Písek”.
history
Construction and use
The bridge was probably built in the third quarter of the 13th century during the reign of Ottokar II Přemysl . The first documents with a mention of the building date back to 1348. Here the Bohemian King Charles IV said that the income from the bridge toll had to be provided for the maintenance of the bridge.
The bridge was built on dry land. Only after completion was the river directed into its new bed, which has since passed under the bridge. The bridge was an important part of the Golden Road . Since 1797 an Aryan road from Vodňany to Blatná and Nepomuk crossed the bridge . The city received more than 743 gold coins, which was a high cost. For this reason, the bridge came into state hands in 1825 and under state administration in 1827.
1994 to 1996: renovation of the bridge
The bridge was renovated between 1994 and 1996. Several bus routes ran across the bridge before work began. The bridge foundations were anchored in the rock during the work so that the bridge withstood the great flood of 2002. Furthermore, the baroque statues were replaced by replicas.
2002: Partial destruction by floods
During a heavy flood in August 2002 , the statue of an angel was swept away and parts of the stone parapet collapsed. The water reached a height of almost two meters above the roadway of the bridge. Only the crucifix was visible. Thanks to the renovation measures in the 1990s, the bridge did not suffer any major damage.
After just two days, the bridge was secured with a temporary wooden railing and made accessible to the public again. Parts of the bridge that the water took with it were mostly salvaged from the Otava River and reused. The figure of an angel, which was replaced by a new replica in 2004, could no longer be found.
Among the paving stones in addition to other security measures a substructure of concrete installed for stabilizing the bridge. The renovation of the bridge was supported by a fundraising campaign that started after the flood. It helped the city to quickly restore the old bridge structure.
2007: hurricane
In 2007 hurricane Kyrill broke off the crucifix, which then fell into the river. A diver later managed to find the 80 kilogram pewter work of art around 60 meters from the bridge in the river and then recovered it with the help of the fire department. The crown of thorns was thought to be lost, but was later found.
During the restoration work on the cross, the restorer found time capsule documents . It was news from the sculptor Karel Vlačih about the restoration of the cross between 1887 and 1899. There was also a copy of the daily Rudé právo from March 7, 1959, as well as further news about the restoration between 1957 and 1959 and instructions to subsequent generations.
On March 18, 2008, the copy of the crucifix was placed in the designated place; the sculptor Robert Ritschel worked on the work for half a year.
description
The bridge is 109.75 meters long and 6.25 meters wide with the bridgehead on the left. The carriageway takes up 4.5 meters. The bridge stands on six pillars that form a total of seven arches. The arches were affected in their substance several times by floods and floods. Today only six original arches with a span of 7.0 to 8.2 meters remain. An arch with a span of 13 meters dates from 1768. This served the better passage of rafts .
The bridge originally had bridge towers on both sides . The first tower collapsed in 1768 during a flood. The second was demolished in 1825 as it was an obstacle to traffic. Parts of the tower can still be seen on the left bank; these were uncovered during one of the numerous repairs to the bridge.
Statues
Crucifix of the Calvary Group
Saint Nepomuk as bridge saint
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Copies of baroque sandstone statues stand on the bridge . The Kalvarienberggruppe dates from the 18th century, from the workshop of Jan Hammer. The group consists of the statues of the Virgin Mary , Mary Magdalene and the Evangelist John . The crucifix is six meters high and was originally made by the pewter founder Václav Hanzl. The copies were made in 1997.
Other statues on the bridge are:
- Saint John Nepomuk with two angels
- Saint Anne herself the third
- Saint Anthony of Padua
The original figures date from 1770 and are on display in a museum.
Saint Anne herself the third
Saint Anthony of Padua
The Calvary Group
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Individual evidence
- ↑ Lenka Jansová: Nejstarší český most je v Písku (Czech, The oldest Czech bridge is in Pisek ). Radio Praha, August 7, 2004; accessed on August 20, 2019.
- ↑ Vladislav Dudák: Pobřeží města Písku (Czech, coast of the town of Pisek ). tyden.cz, March 21, 2008; accessed on August 20, 2019.
- ↑ Jindřiška Vaverková: Tisková zpráva č. 27 ze dne 23rd March 2007 - Mosty v Písku mají své oficiální pojmenování. ( Page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Městský úřad Písek. (DOC document (Czech)), accessed December 13, 2014.
- ^ Jiří Kuthan: Česká architektura v době posledních Přemyslovců. 1st edition, TINA, Vimperk 1994, ISBN 80-85618-14-1 , pp. 298-300.
- ↑ Jaká tajemství ukrýval plášť kříže z Kamenného mostu? (What secrets did the cloak of the cross from the stone bridge hide ?) Písecký Deník, January 11, 2008 (Czech), accessed August 20, 2019.
- ↑ Dušan Josef: Naše mosty historické a současné. 1984
Web links
- The oldest Czech bridge in Písek. czechtourism.com.
- Steinerne Brücke, Písek - “Kulturschatz.” In: bbkult.net ( Centrum Bavaria Bohemia ; German and Czech).
Coordinates: 49 ° 18 ′ 35.6 " N , 14 ° 8 ′ 44.3" E