The Hanácké barracks in Olomouc were auctioned off by the developer group Redstone

Olomouc - The winner of the electronic auction for the sale of the Hanácké barracks in Olomouc today, thanks to a bid of 89.1 million crowns, is the Redstone group, co-owned by entrepreneur Richard Morávek. Group spokesman Petr Hlávka told ČTK in response to an inquiry. The minimum purchase price for the Hanácké barracks in the ninth round of the auction was 89 million. Two interested parties registered for the auction, and one bid was made. The Office for Representation of the State in Property Matters will still offer the city of Olomouc, the region, and Palacký University the opportunity to match the winning amount and thus acquire the barracks. The state has been trying to sell the Hanácké barracks since September 2021.

"We confirm that we are a participant in the auction for the Hanácké barracks building, which made the highest bid. We are aware of the importance of the Hanácké barracks building, its size, and its strategic location in the center of Olomouc. At the same time, we consider it important that the owner of the building is a local entity with knowledge of the local environment and a relationship with the city," Hlávka told ČTK, according to whom the Redstone group intends to find optimal use for the four-wing building of the Hanácké barracks and wants to collaborate with leading architects. "At the same time, we are open to negotiations, for example, with the city, the region, and the university about possible cooperation on this project," he added.

The Redstone group focuses its development activities mainly on Olomouc, Prague, and Pardubice. In Olomouc, it is behind the projects of the shopping center Galerie Šantovka and the similarly named urban district, the East Park storage area, and a sanatorium focused on long-term nursing care. Redstone plans to build a new urban district and a multifunctional hall on the sites of former military warehouses.

Some time ago, the Olomouc region, together with the Olomouc city hall and Palacký University, expressed interest in the Hanácké barracks. Experts, however, pointed out the poor technical condition of the Hanácké barracks and the high costs of reconstruction. According to an estimate from 2020, repairs would cost about 815 million CZK; prices have risen significantly since then. Therefore, the regional council canceled its previous resolution at the beginning of this year, which had opened the way for local governments and the university to acquire the barracks free of charge.

Tesařová said today that the ÚZSVM, after joint discussions, complied with the request of the Olomouc city hall, the Olomouc region, and Palacký University for what is called a match of the highest bid resulting from the auction. "Therefore, the ÚZSVM will now approach the city, the region, and the university to match the highest bid from the tender, which amounts to 89.1 million crowns. If none of them does this within 30 days of receiving the invitation, the ÚZSVM will conclude a contract with the winner of the electronic auction," she stated. Palacký University spokesman Egon Havrlant told ČTK that the university leadership is monitoring the current developments and is awaiting a statement from the ÚZSVM. "Then we will evaluate the situation," he stated. The spokeswoman for the region, Alena Minxová, expressed similar sentiments.

The Hanácké barracks were used by the army for 170 years and have been empty since 2013. The monument-protected building was taken over by the ÚZSVM based on a government resolution in 2017 from the Ministry of Defense. In 2020, the government approved its sale. The building has office space of over 2000 square meters.