Today marks the ninth attempt to sell the Štiřín Castle, the starting price is 720 million

Prague - Today at noon, the ninth attempt to sell the Central Bohemian castle of Štiřín begins in an electronic auction. The starting price has been set by the Office for State Representation in Property Affairs (ÚZSVM) at 720 million crowns, which is less than a quarter of the first attempt made last November. If the auction ends successfully, it would rank among the most lucrative sales in the history of the property office.

The auction will last for 24 hours, and to be successful, at least one bid must be made at the starting price. The price can be increased by at least 50,000 crowns thereafter.

The ÚZSVM took over the Štiřín castle in June 2023 from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and subsequently offered it to other state institutions. Since no one showed interest, the property office transferred the castle furnishings to the National Heritage Institute and then offered the castle grounds for auction. The first round took place last November, and the starting price at that time was 3.3 billion crowns.

In the subsequent rounds of the auction, the office gradually lowered the price and also removed part of the land from the sale offer in the castle park area, which was taken over by the Czech Forests, and plots where the municipality of Kamenice plans to build sidewalks. Despite the price reduction, no one registered for the first seven rounds of the auction. In the eighth attempt at the end of October, at least one interested party submitted the required auction deposit but did not make any bid.

The 18th-century castle formerly served as a hotel with a restaurant, wellness center, and golf course. It was originally managed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which announced that it did not need the premises and subsequently transferred it to the property office. At the time of the transfer, the premises were closed. The current appearance of the castle has been influenced by modifications from around 1900 according to the design of architect Jiří Stibral, as well as renovations from 1985 to 1993. For decades, it was owned by the Ringhoffer family, and the Štiřín castle came into state ownership as a confiscated property after World War II.

The Štiřín castle could rank among the most profitable sales in the history of ÚZSVM. The highest amount so far was brought in by the October auction of the Prague Broadway Palace, for which the bidder offered 848 million crowns; currently, there is still a period during which the tenant of the palace can match the offered amount. Previously, the most profitable sale was a transaction from 2015, when ÚZSVM sold the grounds of the former monastery at Prague's Republic Square for 790 million crowns.