Žďár nad Sázavou site of 20-metre-tall cardboard structure that only lasted for a day
Žďár nad Sázavou in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic recently had the unusual honour of becoming the site of a 20-metre-tall cardboard structure inspired by the works of Czech architect of Italian descent Jan Blažej Santini, whose unique style combining the Baroque with the Gothic can be seen in churches and chateaus around the country. Santini is the architect behind the World Heritage Site of the Pilgrimage Church of Saint John of Nepomuk in Žďár nad Sázavou.
The special cardboard structure was the work of French architect Olivier Grossetête, who builds towers, bridges and temples from cardboard all over the world according to his own original designs – but this was the first time such a project has been seen in Czechia. The French architect came at the invitation of Žďár castle, and enlisted the help of 400 volunteers to help with the construction, which involved 1,650 pieces of cardboard and 30 km of tape.
Although it took two days to build, it wasn’t around for very long – it was demolished the very next day, to the delight of watching children who then immediately threw themselves on the boxes to play. The demolition drew an even bigger crowd than the construction, with people coming to watch and help as the structure was pulled down to the ground in a matter of seconds with the aid of ropes.
The two tons of material were carted off by truck, while the cardboard boxes, which had been supplied by the company Mondi, were disposed of in an environmentally-friendly way after the event.
