České Budějovice did not find a use for the Great Salt Works

České Budějovice - České Budějovice have not found a use for the heritage-protected Great Salt Store on Piaristické náměstí. The building belongs to a private owner who wants to sell it to the city hall for 21 million crowns, which is too much for the city. Therefore, the city hall first explored, through a selection process, whether anyone would be interested in operating the salt store, said Deputy Mayor Rudolf Vodička to ČTK today.
    "Three offers came in. The city could not decide on any of them, also because all were unprofitable from an operational standpoint," Vodička stated. According to the deputy, there are no grants to cover operational losses, and the city would therefore have to pay for it. Even the owner’s offer for the sale is three times the appraised value, which is high for the city.
    Interested parties wanted to create a folk restaurant, an art house, or a cultural center in the salt store. The use of the building is limited due to its historical value, as the interior space with Gothic beams is particularly valuable. "Of course, this limits the property, and there might also be issues with heating installation, sanitary installations, and so on," Vodička explained.
    The late Gothic building has been inaccessible to the public for many years, and its current owners do not reside in České Budějovice. The property was returned to the owners in 1992, and seven years later, they first offered it to the city for purchase for ten million crowns. However, the then city leadership considered this amount to be inflated.
    The Great Salt Store was built in 1531 as a grain storage facility. It was later used as a city armory and still later as a salt storage facility. It is a long single-nave building with an annex and five floors. A feature of the facade is three differently sized faces carved from stone.