‘Like knocking down the Eiffel tower’: battle to save historic Prague bridge

A plan from Czech railways to replace the emblematic landmark with a modern structure is facing an impassioned backlash

A historic Prague railway bridge, whose importance to the city’s landscape has been compared to the Eiffel tower in Paris, has been earmarked for demolition in a move denounced by architects and preservationists.

The much-photographed Vyšehrad bridge – instantly recognisable for its parabolic lattice steel structure – is unfit to carry an anticipated rising volume of rail traffic, claims Czech Railways, which plans to replace it with a modern structure.