Komerční banka will negotiate about the building on Wenceslas Square only with Prague

Prague - Komerční banka (KB) will negotiate the sale of the building on Wenceslas Square in Prague 1 exclusively with the capital city. The reason is a favorable offer from the city for the bank. This was stated today by Prague councilor Zdeněk Kovářík (ODS) to ČTK. KB also published the decision of its board on its website. Last week, city councilors approved a resolution in which the city offered the bank 3.65 billion crowns. The municipality plans to relocate officials from the Škodův palác in Jungmannova Street, where it has a lease until 2028, to the building. The negotiations are expected to be concluded in the second quarter of this year.

"I am very pleased that after long negotiations we have managed to find suitable space for the function of the city hall and the people working for the city. The building on Wenceslas Square represents a great solution to a difficult situation - that is, the ending lease with the owner of the so-called Škodův palace. I believe that the purchase of the property into the hands of the city is very advantageous in the long term, and Prague will thus find its definitive home,” stated Kovářík.

KB called for bids for the purchase of its company VN42, which owns the building, on March 12 this year. Several interested parties submitted offers. "The board of KB, after evaluating the received offers, decided to initiate negotiations on the terms of a possible future sale of the company VN 42 with the proposer of the best offer, the capital city of Prague," the bank's announcement states. According to the document, the bank will seek to finalize the deal in the second quarter of this year.

The building at the corner of Wenceslas Square and Štěpánská Street meets the municipality's capacity needs, being about a third larger than the Škodův palace. The location is also suitable as it is in the city center at the intersection of all three metro lines. Municipal officials are currently located in several places. A large portion of them, about 1200 out of a total of 2200, are based in Škodův palace, where the city's lease expires in 2028. The officials moved there during the tenure of Mayor Pavel Bém (ODS). The rental terms and duration were adjusted during the tenure of Mayor Adriana Krnáčová (ANO).

In the past year, the city leadership considered purchasing the main post office building on Jindřišská Street, but did not reach an agreement with Česká pošta. There was also a plan for the construction of a new building at Na Knížecí, which was also abandoned. The city leadership is based in the New Town Hall building on Mariánské náměstí.