Kolín is looking for an investor for the castle brewery and will also seek public funding

Kolín - Kolín is looking for a use for the former castle brewery, which has been part of the national database of brownfields. The complex in the historic center of the city could serve, for example, as a microbrewery, restaurant, and with the use of another castle building, also as a hotel. The city is looking for a private investor and is collaborating with the CzechInvest agency on this. The city hall also wants to explore possible grants from public sources, said Kolín's deputy mayor Roman Šulc (Change for Kolín) and city architect Jitka Molnárová.

"We are mapping the situation; the potential of this place is great, but of course, finding an investor who would go in alone will probably be challenging, so we as a city will also want to search for public funding," said Molnárová. According to her, a hotel could be promising, as there are few in the city. The amount of necessary investment cannot yet be estimated without an idea of specific usage.

According to the director of the business localization department at CzechInvest, Tomáš Hamerský, there is generally great interest in brownfields. He states that investors are increasingly preferring already used areas over greenfield construction. "The market interest is also confirmed by data from the newly launched Real Estate Database, where we are already recording dozens of specific inquiries about individual brownfields after just a few days of operation," said Hamerský. How long it may take to find a suitable investor depends on many factors, according to him. "For specific objects, such as historical sites with narrowly defined preferred uses, like the castle brewery in Kolín, finding a suitable investor can take several years," added Hamerský.

Part of the long-neglected brewery complex in Kolín includes a malt house, brew house, and soaking room, including some original technology. The city wants to draw inspiration from similar projects; for example, the brewery in Kostelec nad Černými lesy has undergone a successful reconstruction, where the National Museum of Brewing is now located.

Originally, Kolín Castle was rebuilt into the form of a Renaissance chateau in the 16th century. In the second half of the 18th century, the then-owners converted it into a brewery, and part of the buildings served as a warehouse. The castle brewery ceased operations in 1987; until last year, the city still rented out the malt house. Since 2000, the city has been striving for the gradual revitalization of the castle complex. In 2017 and 2018, for example, it had the sgraffito facade on the Žerotín Palace restored, and in 2024, the castle chapel was restored.