Karlovy Vary will once again search for a way to repair the Elizabeth Spa

Karlovy Vary - Karlovy Vary's latest plan to secure funding for the renovation of the Elizabeth Baths has failed. The city wanted to establish a branch of a university in the building and obtain funds for the equipment from the ReStart program. However, negotiations with the Faculty of Medicine of Charles University were unsuccessful. According to Mayor Andrea Pfeffer Ferklová (ANO), the city leadership will now seek alternative solutions.

"We thought that this building of the Elizabeth Baths would be the most suitable for the school. Unfortunately, we did not anticipate that the 3rd Faculty of Medicine would withdraw from the intention to open a physiotherapy program here. So negotiations will start again, probably with a different university, because we do not want to abandon this idea just yet," Pfeffer Ferklová told ČTK.

The previous city leadership spent several years preparing a concession procedure for the lease and renovation of the listed building in the city center. The companies that won offered to renovate the building for 561 million, of which 450 million would come from city funds. The company Royal Spa would operate the baths in the building for 25 years and pay rent to the city. However, the new city leadership rejected this plan and canceled the concession procedure.

The Elizabeth Baths, which are the last public baths in Karlovy Vary, urgently need renovation and investment in modernization. According to Pfeffer Ferklová, the city leadership does not currently plan to close the loss-making operation and will continue to look for ways to find a suitable solution for renovation and future operation. The city leadership aims to have clarity by the end of June.