Prague plans to buy the Veleslavín castle from the state, approved by the councilors

Prague - Prague plans to purchase the Veleslavín Castle from the Office for the Representation of the State in Property Matters (ÚZSVM) for 210 million crowns. The plan was approved by the city council today. The city has been pursuing the acquisition of the area for some time, but previously rejected the purchase due to the high price. After repeated unsuccessful auctions, the price has dropped from the original 580 million crowns to the current amount. The final decision will still be voted on by the councilors.

After the purchase, the city plans to entrust the castle area to Prague 6, which currently has the property on loan from the state. "The district is currently working on a study of future use, which they will present to us, and if we agree with it, we will entrust them with the castle area based on that," said councilor Adam Zábranský (Pirates) after the meeting. According to the mayor of Prague 6, Jakub Stárek (ODS), the municipality guarantees that the castle area will remain accessible to the public in the long term.

Representatives of Prague 6 have previously stated that the district is ready to take over the area and ensure its costly revitalization in cooperation with private partners. According to estimates, it will cost between 1.5 to 2 billion crowns. The municipality wants to keep the castle for itself and provide other buildings to private partners in education or hospitality. "We will focus solely on the public interest – the establishment of a school, cultural facilities, or essential social and health services for our citizens is on the table," Stárek announced.

The ÚZSVM has been trying to sell the castle since November of the year before last. In none of the ten auctions held so far has anyone made a bid, and the starting price has gradually dropped from the initial 580 million to 210 million crowns during the last attempt at the end of last year. Prague has declared its interest in taking over the area from the beginning, but the original price seemed too high to city representatives given the necessary investments. For this reason, Zábranský described the city's approach and the current decision to purchase as strategic waiting.

The purchase of the historic property has been criticized by opposition councilor and leader of the Prague ANO movement, Ondřej Prokop, who argues that the city is taking on a financially demanding project that will also require further significant investments for reconstruction. "At a time when Prague desperately needs new affordable public housing and to increase school capacities, and we repeatedly push for the purchase of buildings for education, Councilor Zábranský’s priority is to become the lord of the castle," Prokop stated.

However, finance councilor Zdeněk Kovářík (ODS) stated that the purchase will be financed from money saved in previous years earmarked for investments, so it should not burden the city's regular budget.

The Veleslavín Castle with its historical park covers an area of three hectares and dates back to approximately 1725. It was built according to plans by Kilián Ignác Dientzenhofer for Empress Amálie 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 figures such as Charlotta Garrigue Masaryková and Milena Jesenská were treated there.