Ústí can give a new purpose to the once grand Schicht Spa

Ústí nad Labem - Ústí nad Labem will address the future of the once luxurious Schicht Baths. The devastated city swimming pool in the Střekov district has been cleared by its current owner. He removed tons of garbage from the pool. In the adjacent sports hall, he built a trampoline center and recently opened a center for laser games, both of which are now out of operation due to the emergency declaration.

The baths, which were a modern swimming facility in their time, were built in 1931 by factory owner Georg Schicht for his employees. They have been closed since the 1990s. The bathhouse building was unsuccessfully privatized and has been deteriorating for the last 20 years. Later, it became a gathering place for homeless people and drug addicts.

A private investor is now offering the baths for sale. "I have no use for them, the only thing I could do is make apartments there," said Miloš Podolský, the manager of Power Get, the company that owns the baths and the neighboring sports hall, to ČTK. He had the garbage and construction debris removed from the original pool, secured the building against unauthorized access and further degradation.

City representatives recently visited the site. "It was evident that the condition of the building is not bad, the original reinforced concrete structure has not degraded," said historian and opposition councilor Martin Krsek (PRO! Ústí) to ČTK.

The councilors approved the intention to purchase the baths at the end of February and tasked Deputy Mayor Pavel Tošovský (ODS) to negotiate with the owner about the terms and price for the property. "The negotiations were interrupted by the current situation with the spread of the coronavirus," Podolský told ČTK.

The city had already considered purchasing the historically valuable property once. In 2015, it had a static assessment carried out, which indicated that the structure could be reused. Currently, the site is considered a brownfield. The city could thus attempt to obtain a grant for its revitalization.