The regional authority has offered for sale a nurses' house in Prostějov

Olomouc - The Olomouc region has offered for sale a long-unused residential building of orderly nurses and female staff in the hospital complex in Prostějov, which the Ministry of Culture recently added to the list of cultural monuments. The minimum purchase price of the functionalist building has been set at six million crowns, as stated in the published intention to sell the house approved by the regional council. If a buyer is found for this property, the real estate transaction will still need to be approved by the regional assembly.

Investors may submit price offers to the regional office by August 29, and they must commit to repairing the property and providing social or healthcare services within it. The reconstruction of the house must begin no later than three years from the moment the property is transferred to the new owner. If the sale conditions are not met, the Olomouc region may withdraw from the contract.

The functionalist building, designed by architect Eduard Žáček, was built in Prostějov in 1933. The former nurses' home operated until 2005 as biomedical laboratories in the then-hospital complex. In the following years, the building remained empty because the regional office did not find a use for it. "Although it was previously considered that the building could be used for social services after renovation, the Olomouc region ultimately decided to invest financial resources into the existing social facilities in Prostějov," said Kamila Navrátilová, spokesperson for the regional office, to ČTK.

The proposal to declare the building a cultural monument was submitted by a private individual, and preservationists supported this proposal due to its undeniable heritage values. In addition to the building itself, the ramp and the main and ancillary staircases were also included in the heritage protection. Thanks to its listing as a cultural monument, any potential new owner can apply for grants from both the state and the region, which annually financially supports the restoration of cultural monuments.

The private part of the building originally served on all three floors as accommodation for nurses in five-bed rooms with shared social facilities on the floor, consisting of changing rooms and bathrooms. "The second wing with a prominent entrance and large windows included a kitchen, a dining room, and a two-storey chapel, clearly recognizable thanks to the bay window with a cross decor, indicating the religious character of the building even from an external perspective. The interior retained many artistic and craftsmanship elements even after later modifications," said Vlastimil Staněk, spokesperson for the Olomouc branch of the National Heritage Institute.