Blanenský railway Ježkův bridge has become a technical monument

Blansko - The historic Ježkův bridge in Blansko has become a technical monument. This was decided in recent days at the request of railway enthusiasts by the Ministry of Culture. The bridge was at risk of being scrapped. However, enthusiasts from the Kolejová association managed to save it at the last minute. It is now protected as a monument from destruction, said Jiří Šimkůj, the chairman of the association, to ČTK today.
    The bridge is about 150 years old and was once part of the Pilsen-Prague railway line. During the First Republic, it was purchased by the foundry and blacksmith shop of the Blansko company K. and R. Ježek. For nearly a century, the bridge was part of the siding to the company. It spanned the Svitava River there.
    During the Second World War, it was the only bridge in Blansko that the Germans were unable to blow up. It served its purposes until 1996. Since then, it has been unused. During a recent revitalization of the Svitava riverbed, there were considerations about what to do with it. The Morava River Basin Authority insisted that it be removed from the riverbed.
    It was saved by the Kolejová association. With the help of a crane, they removed the bridge last year from the space over the river and placed it on a nearby meadow. It is now waiting for repairs. Subsequently, an old railway car will be placed on it, in which an exhibition about the history of the railway will likely be created in about a year.