The fate of the part of the Buštěhrad castle will be decided by the regional leadership this year

source: Central Bohemian Region

Buštěhrad - The fate of a part of the Buštěhrad Castle will be decided by the new leadership of the Central Bohemian Region this year. The second part of the castle belongs to the town of Buštěhrad, which is investing in its reconstruction. The region had planned a complete renovation of the property, but after the detention and indictment of the then governor David Rath, the castle has been awaiting a decision for five years on whether the renovations to the regional part will continue. Other options include, for example, selling to a private investor or transferring the remaining part to the town. However, the new leadership of the regional authority has not yet discussed the possibilities.

"This is another case that we will have to address this year and take a position on," stated Governor Jaroslava Pokorná Jermanová (ANO).

The renovation of the regional part of the castle was promoted by Rath, who was provisionally sentenced for manipulating contracts, including the one for the repair of Buštěhrad. The Prague High Court overturned the verdict in October, so the regional court will decide on the case again.

Former governor Miloš Petera (ČSSD) previously stated that although European subsidies were supposed to be used for the renovation, it was not possible due to a change in grant policy. The repair costs are estimated at 100 million crowns.

The town of Buštěhrad, with a population of three thousand, has an approximate budget of forty million, so it is not within its means to repair the remaining part of the castle, which has a new roof but is in poor technical condition.

The city hall regularly invests in the repairs of the municipal part of the castle, last year over a million crowns, partially funded by a grant from the Ministry of Culture. The city plans to establish an information center on the ground floor of the castle, and the costs for its creation will reach approximately two million crowns. The town also aims to obtain grants for these repairs from the Ministry of Culture’s Program for the Preservation of Architectural Heritage. According to Mayor Daniela Javorčeková, the project is completed, and ideally, work could begin in the spring.

In contrast, the Central Bohemian Region has been interested in purchasing the castle in Přerov nad Labem, which Czech Radio wants to sell, in previous years. However, the current leadership of the region has agreed, according to the governor, that the region will not purchase the castle at this time because it has enough of its own properties that require expensive repairs.