They will have to remove the statue of Bolívar in Héroes due to the risk of collapse

By a message posted on his Twitter account, the secretary of the government of Bogotá, Luis Ernesto Gómez, confirmed that the authorities of the capital have decided to remove the statue of Bolívar Ecuestre, which runs the monument to Los Héroes, at the intersection of Calle 80 with the north highway. It should be remembered that this has been one of the main points of concentration of demonstrators in the city since the start of the national strike which began on April 28.

“Within the framework of the mobilizations, in the monument of Los Héroes there were various artistic interventions and also some where demonstrators perched on the statue. According to a report and a study carried out by our Institute of Cultural Heritage and some experts, our monument is currently in imminent risk of falling “said the official.

In this regard, he refers to an intervention carried out in the early morning of this Saturday, May 22 by the Secretariat of the District of Culture, Leisure and Sports, Idiger, and the Heritage Department of the Ministry of Culture, which evaluated and enlisted the removal of the sculpture in the technical and safety conditions necessary for its dismantling and transfer. It was done that way, “guarantee the safety of citizens and do not interfere with the days of social demonstration nor the mobility of the city sector ”, according to the first of these institutions.

In the midst of these evaluations, it was possible to verify that the fire lit at the base of the pedestal during the demonstration days altered the point of union between the base of the sculpture and the pedestal which supports it. Although part of the bronze pedestal is embedded in a layer of cement which helps to hold the piece firm in its support, theThe high temperatures to which the monument was subjected made some of this cement crystallize and it broke, losing its ability to support the sculpture and thus threatening its stability.

Likewise, the Secretariat pointed out that “the heat to which the sculpture was subjected caused the expansion of the bronze, crystallizing the metal and producing cracks which compromised the stability of the piece, which weighs approximately 3.2 tonnes”. Likewise, it has been shown that between this visit and the previous one, held on May 18, the deterioration of the monument has intensified, so that “there is an imminent risk of collapse of sculpture if it continues to be subjected to external stresses, vibrations and manipulations ”.

It would then be a serious damage if one took into account the fact that in addition to the fire, the sculpture has already played in at least one collapse attempt at the hands of demonstrators who gathered at the scene on May 15. Occurred at night when a small group tied two ropes to the bronze statue with the intention of knocking it over, without success.

That said, Secretary Gómez warned that this is a statue which, if collapsed, could seriously affect the lives of passers-by or protesters, so “The district has made the decision to temporarily remove the monument in the coming days., when the technical and patrimonial conditions are guaranteed ”.

Thus, the official asked the demonstrators to avoid approaching the area of ​​the statue, and even to refrain from trying to intervene. “District observers will be present at the monument to Los Héroes during the days of social demonstration to exercise preventive control and ensure that people can continue to meet in this place in a safe manner, ”said the Secretariat.

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