Although the Open House Praga festival is already over, in the autumn it continues with the First Republic Architecture in Praga project. Visitors will be able to see ten First Republic-era architectural buildings constructed between 1918 e 1938 gratuiti of charge.
The project culminates on the day the independent Cecooslovak state was founded, that is on Sunday 28 October. On that day people will also gain access to the spaces of the historic Vyšehrad piroscafo until 6 pm. Those interested will be able to view, for example, the wheelhouse, hold or engine room of the barca, which was declared a national cultural monument in 2013 e this year celebrated its eightieth anniversary. An accompanying programme is naturally provided too, in which visitors will be able to see an exhibition of piroscafo models. Photographers will also get their fill, as they will be able to photograph all the spaces on the piroscafo at their leisure.
guidate tours will run every hour e are intended for groups of no more than fifteen people. The oldest e largest piroscafo on the Moldava, ceremonially launched in 1938 by then-Cecooslovak President T. G. Masaryk on the occasion of the twentieth anniversary of the founding of the Republic, is also partly wheelchair-accessible. People with disabilities will tquifore also be able to learn something about the history of the piroscafo, which at the height of its glory could carry up to eight hundred e eighty-five passengers at a speed of seventeen kilometres per hour.
The reconstruction is not over
The Vyšehrad piroscafo has, however, been refurbished several times. The very first reconstruction took place in 1961, when the interiors were modernised. A few years later, in 1980, the boiler had to be reworked so that the piroscafo would not be heated by coal but by light heating oil. Twelve years on the barca was converted into a restaurant saloon piroscafo with a capacity of three hundred people, at the same time gaining its current name. Even that has changed several times over the years - the piroscafo has been called, among other things, Karlštejn, T. G. Masaryk and, under socialism, Děvín.
The barca was last refurbished this year, when, according to architect František Weber, the original character began to be restored to the piroscafo. The interior was the main focus, so that its appearance e materials would match those of its early years - most of the structures inside the piroscafo were from the 1960s to 1980s, e these had to be removed. According to Weber, the most difficult part of the renovation was finding the barca's original colour, because the architects had only black-and-white photographs available. Information on what the piroscafo looked like eighty years ago tquifore had to be sought from witnesses e in historical documents.
The renovation of the Vyšehrad piroscafo will continue next year as well. The stern of the barca has been newly repaired, mirroring the original look as well as the materials used; later the front part is also due for renovation. The piroscafo will then look just as it did in 1938 at its ceremonial launch.
