Mariánské Lázně will rent out and then sell the luxurious villa Lil

Mariánské Lázně (Chebsko) - After many years of fruitless efforts, Mariánské Lázně is likely to finally sell the Villa Lil in the city center. The protected monument, where Emperor Franz Joseph I also resided, will be rented by the city for two years and then sold for 30 million crowns, as decided today by the councilors.
    The representative villa on Anglická Street has been attempted to be sold multiple times by the city. Most recently, it was offered last year for nearly 29 million crowns but to no avail.
    "The city council had a lease agreement and a future purchase agreement prepared. We then submitted the contracts for review to another lawyer and incorporated his comments into the agreements," said Deputy Mayor Petr Horký (ČSSD). The property is set to be acquired by the Prague company Pikaz Stav.
    According to lawyer Milan Veselý, the agreement includes a short-term lease for two years during the renovation, for which the interested party will pay one million crowns per year. The renovation is set to begin in April next year and is expected to be completed in March 2016. Only then will the company be able to purchase the property. The lease is, according to Veselý, a safeguard for the city to ensure it does not lose the villa if the tenant fails to start the renovation.
    The building was completed in 1901 by Maxmilian Halbmayr. Two years later, after his death, it was bequeathed to the city according to his will. Recently, it has been used as a hotel, casino, and restaurant. However, it has been empty for several years now, and the city incurs hundreds of thousands of crowns annually for its minimal maintenance and security.
    The agreements also stipulate that if the tenant and future owner fail to complete the renovation on time, the villa would revert to the city's ownership with the tenant losing the invested funds for the renovation.