Gold Coin 5000 CZK Negrelli Viaduct in Prague 2012 Proof

1/2 Oz Gold Coin - Negrelli Viaduct

The obverse of the coin features the arch of the Negrelli Viaduct, which depicts a composition of heraldic animals from the Great State Emblem - a Czech lion in the centre, a Silesian eagle to the right and a Moravian eagle to the left. In the centre of the arch is the name of the cycle "MOSTY" in three lines, the name of the state "CZECH REPUBLIC" and the denomination of the coin with the abbreviation of the monetary unit "5000 CZK". The coin was minted by the Czech Mint and its mark, which is formed by the composition of the letters 'Č' and 'M', is at the bottom edge of the coin.

On the reverse side, a part of the Negrelli Viaduct is depicted from the side, above which is one arch of the viaduct. Above the arch is the inscription 'NEGRELLI VIADUKT V PRAZE', which is bordered by dots at the edges. Below the depiction of the Negrelli Viaduct is the year of mintage '2012' and the initials of the author of the coin's design, academic sculptor Zbyněk Fojtů, which are formed by the joined letters 'F' and 'Z'.

The Negrelli Viaduct is the second oldest still standing bridge over the Vltava River in Prague after the Charles Bridge. Its construction was necessitated by the continuation of the Northern State Railway from Prague to Dresden. The viaduct spans the Karlin valley, then still an unregulated floodplain, and the two Vltava arms that divide the lower part of the Štvanice island.

Tragically deceased ing. Jan Perner (1815-1845) and Alois Negrelli (1799-1858), Lesseps' collaborator in the construction of the Suez Canal. They opted for an arched and partially segmented type of construction. Construction of the viaduct, which was carried out by the Klein Brothers and Vojtěch Lanna, began in the spring of 1846 and was completed in 1850, when the first regular train passed over the viaduct on 1 June.

At the time it was the largest railway construction in Europe, with 3,000 workers of Czech, German and Italian nationality working there. Their material was Czech granite, the pillars had sandstone tiles. The length of the viaduct was 1130 m, the original width was 7.60 m, after the removal of the stone parapet it was 9 m. The viaduct had 90 arches. The railway line running along the viaduct was double-tracked from the very beginning. As a whole, the viaduct was very stylish and balanced, and the details were equally well thought out. The designers and builders did a perfect technical job, as the bridge not only withstood the floods of the Vltava River, but also withstood the enormous increase in weight of today's railway trains.

In 1952-1953, three arches over Křižíková Street in Karlín were removed, which proved to be a serious communication obstacle in today's car traffic. They were replaced by concrete beams. In 1981, the same thing was repeated over the Bubene embankment for the same reasons. Despite these minor cosmetic changes, the Negrelli Viaduct is still proof that even a technical work can have a high aesthetic standard.

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