The owner of Vrbenské Spa in Ústí n. L. has started demolishing without permission

Ústí nad Labem – The owner of the former Vrbenské spa in the Ústí nad Labem district of Střekov has started demolition without permission. Due to this, representatives of the Czech Airsoft Federation, who used the premises for sports purposes, recently vacated the historic building. Today, senator and historian Martin Krsek (for SEN21) stated that the spa owner did not obtain permission for the demolition work. CTK has not yet been able to contact the property owner Miloš Podolský.

"The building authority did not permit it. The owner has applied for a demolition permit," Krsek said. According to his information, workers began disassembling the roof, which had not served its purpose for a long time. Krsek has scheduled a meeting with the owner, which should take place on Friday. Initially, they were supposed to meet because negotiations about a possible purchase by the city had begun. Krsek had previously proposed the purchase, but the city council did not support the proposal. With the adjacent sports complex, the price could reach up to 50 million crowns, which seemed too high to the councilors.

According to the senator, three years ago the spa building, or rather its reinforced concrete skeleton, was deemed in good structural condition based on an expert assessment. "The roof was in a deplorable state anyway," he added. While the owner secured the building against intrusions by homeless people and drug addicts, Krsek stated that he did not make the essential adjustments needed to prevent water from leaking in.

Spa owner Podolský has an unreachable phone and has not yet responded to CTK's message. He is currently abroad.

Jiří Kaňka, president of the Czech Airsoft Federation, planned to revive the historic building. He wanted to build an arena in the spa. "We were waiting for all those who claimed they wanted to save it to start helping us with that," he told CTK. He added that no one showed interest in the spa with the complex, which had been on sale for a long time. According to him, the association left the premises about two weeks ago when the demolition work began.

The spa, which was a modern facility in its time, was built in 1931 by factory owner Georg Schicht for his employees. It has been closed since the 1990s. The spa building was unsuccessfully privatized and has deteriorated for the last 25 years. Later, it became a popular place for homeless people and drug addicts.