Plzeň will announce a new competition for the repair of the monument Thanks, America!

Plzeň - The new memorial Thank you, America!, dedicated to the American army for the liberation in May 1945, is set to be erected in Plzeň by spring next year, ahead of the Festivals of Freedom from May 5 to 8. The city will soon announce a new public competition. CTK was informed by Deputy Mayor Pavel Šindelář (ODS).

The city hall removed both damaged pylons from the site 1.5 years ago, which were in a state of emergency. Deep cracks appeared in the original twelve-ton granite pylons, and according to a structural engineer, there was a risk they could collapse. In April this year, the city issued a tender for the restoration of the memorial, with work scheduled to begin during the summer. However, in June, the competition was canceled because neither of the two bidders had suitable granite.

"We agreed in the investment department that we will present the modified tender documentation to the first September committee for public procurement, and we will reissue the competition so that we can complete the memorial by spring," said the deputy mayor. It is not difficult to build it, but finding such granite that meets the city's conditions is the challenge. It should be as close as possible to the stone originally from Mrákotin, where the quarry is now closed according to Šindelář. Thus, it must be sought elsewhere, he added.

In the first competition, the problem was that the conditions set by the city with the co-author of the memorial, architect Jan Soukup, turned out to be ambiguous when the granite arrived. "The evaluation committee could not definitively confirm or deny whether the stone was correct," the deputy mayor stated. The city has consulted with petrology experts and is fine-tuning the conditions to ensure that the competition has clear parameters. "It mainly concerns the (fine) grain size of the stone, which was not clear because its scale does not exist," added Šindelář.

For the new memorial, where the main commemorative event of the Festivals of Freedom took place every year, the representatives approved an amount of up to 14 million CZK. The contractor must ensure high-quality granite, have it processed, and then erect the pillars, identical to the originals, at the same location. Before processing, the blocks will undergo ultrasonic tests for homogeneity, and the protocol will be submitted to the investor for approval. Only then will the production of the pylons and the carving of texts and ornaments begin. Tests will be repeated before and after installation. Some experts believe that the company will have to look for the material abroad, as such large pieces of unbroken granite are not available in the Czech Republic. According to Soukup, they are supposed to weigh about 35 tons and, after processing into the required block, about 20 tons. He therefore proposed using white Italian marble.

The memorial at the intersection of Klatovská and Americká streets was unveiled during the May celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the liberation.