The Skloexport building in Liberec is again for sale, with the state asking for 79 million CZK.

Liberec - The long-unused building of the former Skloexport in Liberec is once again for sale. The area was previously of interest to Liberec, but city councilors rejected the government's asking price of 67 million crowns in January this year. This spring, the Liberec Region also sought to acquire the building, intending to convert it for the accommodation of refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine, but the state did not reach an agreement with the region either. Now, the Office for the Representation of the State in Property Matters (ÚZSVM) has announced a tender with an electronic auction, wanting over 79 million crowns for the building. The auction will take place from November 15 to 16, the office's spokesperson Michaela Tesařová stated in a press release. However, the participation of both the city and the region is deemed unlikely, according to statements from their representatives to ČTK.

"At this point, we are not considering registering for the auction as the Liberec Region. However, I believe a letter has already been sent to Mr. Minister (of Finance Zdeněk) Stanjura (ODS) requesting that the state re-evaluate whether it would not be more reasonable to consolidate all state institutions that reside here into that building, which was built in the 1920s as an office building,” said Governor Martin Půta (Starostové pro Liberecký kraj). He specifically mentioned the financial office, which is renting the building from a private owner, and the state police, which is in the building with the Post café. "It raises the question of whether the state should not rather utilize its own property at a significant transport location instead of having its institutions scattered all over Liberec," added the governor.

Liberec's participation in the auction is also improbable, especially considering that the city refused to purchase the building for a lower price than what the state is now offering in the auction just three-quarters of a year ago. "I cannot predict whether the city council will decide to participate in the auction. It is possible that we will wait to see if someone emerges who would buy Skloexport and take on its renovation," said the city’s mayor Jaroslav Zámečník (Starostové pro Liberecký kraj) to ČTK today. According to estimates, it will be necessary to invest between half a billion and 900 million crowns into the building's reconstruction.

The seven-story Skloexport building was constructed at the corner of Žitavská and 1. máje streets between 1928 and 1930 for the tax and customs administration. The world-renowned exporter of Czech glass acquired it during the communist regime, and the company went bankrupt in the second half of the 1990s. The state took over the building in 2001, and the last tenants left the property in 2009. The state has no use for the building, and its previous attempts to sell it have failed.

The building, located in close proximity to the Liberec train and bus station, was transferred to ÚZSVM from the General Financial Directorate in May 2020. "Since no state institution has shown interest in it, we are looking for a new owner through a transparent electronic auction on the website www.nabidkamajetku.cz," Tesařová stated. Interested parties have the opportunity to view the building on November 2 or 8, and the condition for participation in the electronic auction is the payment of an eight million crown deposit.

The state first offered the property in August 2008, when a court expert set the minimum price at 84.6 million crowns, but no interested buyers came forward. The site, with a floor area of 9,357 square meters, also failed to sell in subsequent years, during which the price was gradually reduced to 45 million crowns.

This spring, the region expressed interest in the building; according to Půta, they wanted to convert the building to accommodate up to 500 refugees. "Negotiations for a free loan with the subsequent possibility of donating the former Skloexport building were lengthy; by the end of July, we had not reached any conclusion," said Půta. The conditions, which also restricted the use of the building, were unacceptable for the region, so they ultimately abandoned the plan.