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Bridge Over Troubled Water

There's no easy way to close a landmark during the high season, as the Czechs are discovering this week over proposed reconstruction of the Charles Bridge in Prague. As you might expect from a bridge which was first constructed in the 1357, some maintenance is required from time to time. In recent years, the bridge suffered damage from the floods in 2002 as well as from previous misguided attempts at restoration in the 1970s.

The reconstruction necessitates closing the bridge to foot traffic several times over a two year period. Naturally, vendors making a living selling knickknacks on the bridge, as well as tourism lobbyists, are livid. They are concerned about rerouting tourists from Old Town to Mala Strana--walking across Charles Bridge is the classic route between the two--but an editorial in the Prague Post points out that getting rid of the vendors would improve the atmosphere of the bridge greatly.

This begs the question: Where will we buy our "Prague National Drinking Team" sweatshirts now?

[Image via semmi/Flickr]

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·   Halting the Royal Way [Prague Post]
·   The Tour Trade [Prague Post]