Symbol for sale

Do you like bridges? Do you like them so much that you would like to own one? In that case, you have an opportunity that comes once in a hundred years. The city of Ústí nad Labem is selling a bridge just now, and not an ordinary one. The Mariánský bridge, connecting two parts of the city divided by a river, is remarkable for its elegant shapes and unique frame, for which it received the prestigious „Steel Design Award 1999.“

And how much is the city selling the bridge for? It is not certain, but we know the sum will be significantly lower than the amount the town hall spent on its construction ten years ago. The price of the construction then was CZK 750 million, while now the discussed price amounts to CZK 217 million. A bargain, isn't it?

No, this is not a joke. Ústí nad Labem has owned the bridge for ten years and now it is trying to find a buyer for it. And we have the opportunity to watch a live show on an ambitious plan, originally aimed at raising Ústí's prestige.

This was an assignment the town officials racked their brains over in the early 1990s. Ústí as the former „Red City“ full of chemical plants did not have the best reputation. And it was about time to think of a way to improve the city's tarnished picture. In the end, the city hall decided to build a road bridge with a unique design for money from the local budget. This is not precisely a standard procedure, because bridge construction and…