Opava is again considering the purchase of the former department store Breda

Opava – The leadership of the Opava city council is once again considering the purchase of the former department store Breda. The heritage-protected building has been unused and deteriorating for several years. The company Kamila Kolka, which owns it, is in liquidation. So far, the city received the lowest offer from the insolvency administrator, which is below the amount of 40 million crowns. Mayor Tomáš Navrátil (ANO) said this to ČTK today. According to him, the price is already acceptable, but the purchase still needs to be approved by the city councilors. They will discuss it on March 29.

The insolvency administrator previously offered the secessionist building to the city for 55 million crowns, later reducing the price. "At the end of the year, we had meetings where the amount was above 40 million crowns. We have now initiated another meeting and tried to lower the price further," said the mayor. He added that the current offer is acceptable according to the city leadership, especially considering the planned investments in the building's renovation.

The building should be used partially for commercial purposes and partially to serve the city in the future. A specially created working group has been working on the use. "We now have a project for further use of the space," Navrátil stated. Besides commercial spaces, a new faculty of Silesian University could be located in the building, a permanent exhibition of African art, or the markets could move there. "The building should be economically self-sufficient," said the mayor. He estimates the repair costs to be around 250 million crowns, which could be partially covered by subsidies.

Minister of Culture Lubomír Zaorálek (ČSSD) promised last February during his visit to Opava that the state would assist with the costly renovation if the building belonged to the city and a meaningful cultural use was found for it.

At the time of its opening in 1928, Breda was the largest department store in the republic. The building from 1927, which was created by remodeling the original department store, is now deteriorating. The company Kamila Kolka, which owns it, is in liquidation. "Everyone may think that Kolek is to blame for everything. But the state of Breda troubles me greatly," said the entrepreneur to ČTK today. He claims that for several years he has been unsuccessfully trying to reach an agreement with the company that purchased his claim for the building. "There was no willingness; in the end, Breda ended up in bankruptcy," Kolek told ČTK earlier.