Prague will buy the Veleslavín Castle from the state, approved by the councilors

Prague - Prague will purchase the Veleslavín Castle in Prague 6 from the Office for the Representation of the State in Property Matters (ÚZSVM) for 210 million crowns. The intention was approved today by the representatives at their meeting. The city has been pursuing the acquisition of the area for a longer time, but previously rejected the purchase due to the high price. After several unsuccessful auctions, the state reduced the original price from 580 million crowns to the current amount. The area will be taken over and reconstructed by Prague 6. A total of 53 out of 60 present representatives voted for the purchase.

After the purchase, the city plans to entrust the castle area to the local district, which currently has the property on loan from the state. The mayor of Prague 6, Jakub Stárek (ODS), said that the district is ready to take over the area and ensure its revitalization. He is currently working on a feasibility study, which he will present to the city hall. The reconstruction is estimated to cost around two billion crowns.

The city hall wants to keep the castle for itself and provide the other buildings to private partners, such as those in education. "We want to collaborate with the private sector to reconstruct the individual buildings so that a school, a senior home, or a private health clinic could operate there," Stárek stated.

The ÚZSVM has been trying to sell the castle since November of the year before last. In none of the ten auctions held did anyone place a bid, and the starting price gradually fell from the initial 580 million to 210 million crowns in the last attempt at the end of last year. Prague has consistently declared interest in taking over the area, but the original price seemed too high to city representatives considering the necessary investments.

"In this case, we chose the tactic of waiting for the state to come up with a better price than what they initially demanded from us," said councilor Adam Zábranský (Pirates) at the meeting. "I consider the 210 million to be a reasonable amount," he added.

The Veleslavín Castle, with its historic park, spans three hectares and dates back to approximately 1725. It was built according to the plans of Kilián Ignác Dientzenhofer for Empress Amália of Brunswick. In the first half of the 20th century, it served as a neurological sanatorium founded by Leo Kosák and one of the discoverers of Alzheimer's disease, Oskar Fischer. Notable patients included Charlotta Garrigue Masaryková and Milena Jesenská.