The castle in Herálec will be transformed into a hotel by 2011

Herálec (Havlíčkobrodsko) - The castle in Herálec, in the Havlíčkův Brod region, will be transformed into a hotel with a relaxation and sports center. Reconstruction of the historical building began this month and will last until April 2011, costing over 126 million crowns. The investment company Malý zámeček has received a grant for this project from the European Regional Development Fund. This was stated in a press release that ČTK received today.
    Upon completion of the renovations, the castle will offer 20 guest rooms, conference and social spaces. There will also be a restaurant, relaxation and sports center with a pool, fitness facilities, saunas, a tennis court, and a golf simulator, described the intention by the managing director of the investment company, Alexandra Kasperová.
    The municipal office in Herálec welcomes the project. "We are definitely happy. It is a landmark of Herálec, and it is beneficial when someone invests in it," said Mayor Jiří Ulrich. According to him, the municipality, which has around 1,100 residents, could not manage such a large area.
    The three-winged two-story castle has two corner cylindrical towers with battlements and dormers. The former chapel with paintings and stucco dating back to around 1750 is located on the first floor. The castle is surrounded by an English park, behind which are baroque farm buildings. The reconstruction of the area will be carried out by the construction company PSJ from Jihlava.
    The castle was probably built in the early 17th century, with a reconstruction in the neo-Gothic style carried out in the mid-19th century. Until the end of World War II, the properties belonged to a German family. After the war, they were nationalized, and the castle housed a special boarding school. The second-to-last owner of the estate was the Vysočina region, which sold the castle at an auction after several years. The company Malý zámeček has owned the landmark since 2005. So far, it has taken care of the complete renovation of the roof and revitalization of the park.