ČD sold a palace in the center of Prague at auction for 190 million crowns

Prague - Czech Railways sold the baroque Sweerts - Špork Palace in Prague's Hybernská street for 190.22 million crowns in a public auction on the sixth attempt. The auction company Clanroy, which organized today's auction, informed CTK of this. The name of the new owner was not provided. The railways have been trying to sell the palace since 2008, with the original selling price being half a billion crowns.
    "Selling the historic building has failed five times, as previous bidders were unable to meet their commitments. However, despite the current real estate crisis, a buyer has now emerged who - as we all believe - will pay the purchase price and become the new owner," said Dana Hunčovská from Clanroy.
    Hunčovská added that it is currently not possible to disclose the name of the auction winner. According to the law, the consent of the auctioneer is required for this, and it has not yet been given. "Once we receive permission from the winning company, we will announce its name," she said.
    The last unsuccessful auction was in May this year, when no one participated in the auction. The starting price was 260 million crowns. In the fourth auction at the end of last year, it was 300 million CZK.
    Last summer, the railways sold the palace to the company Gest - hotel, which belongs to the Italian entrepreneur Girolamo D'Agostino. However, he failed to pay the purchase price of 310 million crowns.
    The Sweerts - Špork Palace was built between 1725 and 1789. Recently, it served as an office building, housing part of Czech Railways and some of its subsidiaries, such as ČD Reality or ČD Travel. The property is listed in the register of cultural monuments.