“Those responsible for the devastation of the Veleslavín Castle in recent years should have been punished,” writes an angry user in a viral post on the social network.

The castle with a rich history has been falling into disrepair since 2018, when the lease to Canadian Medical, which operates medical facilities, ended and it was taken over by the state. Since then, only the guard walks around the castle, the operation of which costs one million crowns per year.

The Office for State Representation in Property Matters (ÚZSVM) repeatedly tried to sell the castle. In 2018, he estimated the price of the area at 328 million crowns. The state did not impose any other conditions on the sale, which could also lead to a sale to a private investor.

After public pressure, in November 2018, the then Ministry of Culture Antonín Staněk (ČSSD) withdrew approval for the sale of the castle, and the authority ultimately canceled the auction. The state then agreed on a land exchange with the capital.

A few stamps are missing

“The state should acquire real estate in selected hospital areas for Veleslavín Castle. Negotiations will continue with the new leadership of the capital city of Prague,” says Michaela Tesařová, spokeswoman for the ÚZSVM.

In exchange, these days there is no consensus opinion from the Ministry of Finance and the ÚZSVM on the valuation of real estate. According to information from the MF DNES, the exchange should be completed by the end of this year. However, the city already has the castle on loan and can use it free of charge.

The city specifically acquires the building of the castle and the land around it. As for the property that will go to the state, it is a parking lot that belongs to Na Homolce Hospital. Next is Faust’s house. It is part of the General Faculty Hospital.

Teaching takes place in the Faust House as part of the Faculty of Medicine of Charles University, and there is also a medicine manufacturing plant located within the hospital. Next, one of the fire stations enters the shift, for the reason that the city and the state have a zero balance and neither side has to pay anything extra.

It’s supposed to be a win-win

“It makes sense for firefighters to have the firehouse they already use on their property. Likewise, for the hospital to have a parking lot on its property when it is on its premises. And also that the property of the hospital should include a building in which the General Faculty Hospital is operated,” explained Jan Chabr (Top 09), acting councilor for the property area of ​​the capital city.

This year, a new expert appraisal was prepared for the grounds of the castle. For the state, the usual price and the market price are determined. The one that is higher takes the state as a barter for exchange.

“We are now calculating the final price, however, the price of real estate here should be 430 million,” explains Chabr. The price has thus increased by one hundred million since 2018.

The general principle of the exchange is that real estate used by state institutions should belong to the state due to necessary repairs and investments. At the same time, buildings belonging to the state and housing organizations necessary for the city or established by the city belonged to the city.

For example, in such an exchange, the city acquires sports fields popular with the public, buildings for social facilities or public spaces, parts of gardening settlements or parks, which would otherwise be in danger of being privatized by the ÚZSVM, because they are superfluous from the state’s point of view.

School and park for locals

In the meantime, the city has set up a temporary collection point for covid-19 near the “haunted castle”, and in the spring the councilors also considered setting up a school for the children of Ukrainian refugees.

The city district will help the capital city with the future use of the site. According to Prague 6 spokesman Jiří Hannich, it is primary for the new management of the town hall that the castle grounds serve the public interest.

“We see the potential in the use of some of the castle buildings for education, in the future, for example, an elementary art school could operate here. Furthermore, we would welcome it if the place served cultural and social purposes. A cultural center with a multifunctional hall could be created here, where concerts or even smaller festivals would be held,” adds Hannich.