Felice and I recently had the pleasure of visiting Prague, Czech Republic on our way to Vienna, Austria. While in Prague, we stumbled upon (quite literally at times) and learned about the many miles of stone sidewalks that decorate this wonderful city. Stone sidewalks are found throughout the more historic sections of Prague and they vary in size, color, and pattern, creating a rich mosaic. The more typical stone is roughly a 2” granite cube, white, black, gray, or red in color.
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At one point we came across a construction site where workers were doing some utility work in the sidewalks. The workers take the stones out in preparation for the work and put them in a pile at the corner of the construction site. As soon as the work is completed, the workers reinstall the stone sidewalks – stone by stone.
While this method of construction is not standard or “modern” by our American standards, it does offer some benefits to traditional concrete and asphalt sidewalks. First, experiencing the decorative ground beneath one’s feet adds to the richness of Prague. As one looks around Prague, every view is visually stunning and having patterned stone to walk on adds to the experience of the city. Second, reusing stone over and over again is what sustainability is all about. These stones have been recycled for centuries and have been removed and reinstalled by master craftsmen over time. It is refreshing to know that this special knowledge of creating stone mosaic sidewalks will continue to be passed down to the next generation, ensuring a vibrant culture for many more centuries.
-David
