The fate of Buštěhrad Castle is likely to be decided in June

source: Central Bohemia

Buštěhrad - The fate of the Buštěhrad castle in Kladno will likely be decided in June. The town, which owns the renovated section where the municipal office is located, has officially requested the region to transfer the second, deteriorating part. The request for a gratuitous transfer was supplemented by additional materials. The town would like to renovate the castle in stages with the help of subsidies, and the spaces should serve various associations, seniors, and there is also consideration to reach out to a university for cooperation, said Buštěhrad mayor Daniela Javorčeková to ČTK.

The mayor is expected to participate in a meeting of the property commission in March, which will be the first regional institution to address the fate of the castle. "I believe we will come to an agreement," Javorčeková stated. If the commission recommends the transfer, the proposal will be discussed by the regional councilors, and if approved, it will still need to be confirmed by the representatives, which is likely to occur at their June meeting.

Decisions regarding the potential use are not finalized yet; it will depend on the form of the announced subsidies that Buštěhrad should have a chance to obtain. The stabilization of the roof, trusses, and other elements was already carried out several years ago, and according to the mayor, there is no immediate need for static reinforcement. "The building is stabilized in this respect," she said.

The town operates with a budget of about forty million, from which in the future it would also have to finance participation in subsidies, which would amount to at least millions of crowns. Last year, the town invested, among other things, in the repair of the façade of the northern part of the castle, and other spaces in the central part of the building are also awaiting repairs. An information center is set to start operating on the ground floor of the municipal section of the castle after renovations.

Buštěhrad councilors decided to submit the request for transfer at the beginning of this March. According to the town management, coexistence with another owner of the castle could cause problems in the future. Recently, a Ukrainian investor showed interest, wanting to build a hotel there.

The reconstruction of the dilapidated part of the Buštěhrad castle was advocated by former Central Bohemia governor David Rath (then ČSSD), who was convicted for manipulating contracts, including the one for the repair of Buštěhrad. Last year, the Prague High Court annulled the verdict. The previous regional leadership wanted to use European subsidies for the castle's repairs, but due to changes in subsidy policy, this was not possible, according to former governor Miloš Petera (ČSSD). The cost of repairs is estimated at 100 million crowns.