The Štiřín Castle has failed to sell even for the third time, no one registered for the auction

Štiřín (near Prague) - The Office for the Representation of the State in Property Matters (ÚZSVM) has failed for the third time in its attempt to sell the Štiřín castle in Central Bohemia at an electronic auction. No one has registered for the auction with a starting price of 1.7 billion crowns once again, according to the auction website. In a press release, the office stated that it would announce another round of the selection procedure. The offered castle's price is being gradually reduced; the first unsuccessful attempt to sell it in September was at 3.3 billion crowns. The next attempt took place in October with a starting price of 2.5 billion crowns.

"The aim of ÚZSVM is to find a definitive owner for this unique and unnecessary site with a baroque castle and park, who would find a meaningful use for it," the office stated in the press release. It pointed out that managing empty and unnecessary property brings high costs to the state.

Against the first two auctions, ÚZSVM excluded part of the land in the castle's grounds from the properties offered for sale during the third auction. This was in response to a decision by the Central Bohemian Regional Office, according to which these lands, which include parts of a golf course and the bank of a pond, are designated for forest functions. "Therefore, ÚZSVM will negotiate the transfer of these lands with the state enterprise Lesy České republiky," added the spokesperson.

The Štiřín castle is not the only property that the property office has recently struggled to sell. The Prague Broadway Palace has been unsuccessfully attempted to be sold seven times, most recently failing in September with a starting price of 891 million crowns. In November, the attempt to sell the Prague Veleslavín castle for 580 million crowns also ended unsuccessfully. In the past, ÚZSVM has not managed to sell even the Prague Invalidovna in an auction, which was then taken over by the National Heritage Institute.

The Štiřín castle previously served as a hotel with a restaurant, wellness center, and golf course. Initially, Štiřín was managed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which announced that it no longer needed the site and transferred it to the property office last June. By the time of the transfer, the office stated that the site was already closed. This year, the office announced that no other state institution had shown interest in the castle, and therefore it would start selling to private interested parties.

The Štiřín castle was built in the mid-18th century. Its current form was achieved around 1900 after modifications based on the project of architect Jiří Stibral. The Štiřín castle became state property after World War II as a confiscated property, having previously been owned by the Ringhoffer family for decades. After the war, it was also briefly used by scouts. Between 1985 and 1993, modifications were carried out in the castle to enable its use as a hotel.