The city of Pilsen wants to ensure the use of the dilapidated spa as soon as possible

Plzeň - Plzeň wants to ensure the use of the former municipal baths as soon as possible. It is a long-term dilapidated and monumentally protected object, a dominant feature of the riverbank in the center. The city is considering purchasing it from the Italian owner. This is already a task for the new council members, but the (current) council should still adopt some form of resolution on the intention to utilize the baths, said Mayor Martin Zrzavecký (ČSSD) to ČTK today.

"I would like to push this through, but I don't think I will succeed. If I do it in September, it will be perceived as a populist pre-election move, which the project does not deserve," he stated.

According to the mayor, future council members should be more active and should cooperate more with the current owner. "I tried, but it was challenging," he said. If the city were to say now that it wants to buy the baths, the property owner would demand more and more money. The previously proposed price of 57 million crowns is not acceptable according to the mayor. "It should be around 30 million," he said. This price could be negotiable for the city, as any solution that is eventually devised will cost hundreds of millions of crowns, according to Zrzavecký.

"But the public wants to do something about it. They perceive it as a major flaw and as our mistake for not daring to take that step," he stated. However, according to the mayor, people cannot imagine the costs that the reconstruction and modifications will incur. "But Plzeň should take it over and build wellness, a gallery, anything. But something should be created there, because I fear that the (current) owner is unable to fulfill his vision of some housing complex," he added. If the city proposed to buy it, it would have to be clear about what it wants to build there, according to lawyers as a diligent manager.

The building has been deteriorating for 24 years, and there has been paintball in it for five years. A private owner acquired the property in 1994 but went bankrupt. In 2001, it was bought by the Prague developer Amádeus. They negotiated a sale with the city and the region, which both wanted a gallery there. Ultimately, the building was purchased by the Italian TWB for 27 million crowns and has recently been offered on the market for 150 million crowns. TWB unsuccessfully negotiated last year with the Thai owner of the nearby Angelo hotel, who wanted to build Thai baths there, and then the Italian offered space for beer baths to Prazdroj. "The residential housing that was originally intended to be built there is not feasible. There are relatively many housing projects in the city. And this project would be financially more demanding than building apartments on green fields," the mayor added.