Opava was unable to sell or rent the Slezanka center

Opava - The Opava City Council has failed to sell or rent the Slezanka shopping center in the city center. By the end of September, when the deadline for potential interested parties expired, only one applicant came forward, offering just 15.5 million crowns, which is unacceptable for the city. The city had purchased the building years ago for more than 200 million. This was stated by the city spokesperson Lada Dobrovolná.

"In response to the call, the city received a total of three envelopes, which the committee opened last week. Two contained only suggestions on how to use the Slezanka building. However, the authors did not express interest in buying or renting Slezanka, and thus did not submit any specific offer," the spokesperson said.

The third interested party offered to buy the building for 15.5 million. After renovation, the building was supposed to become a multifunctional facility with commercial and residential spaces. "The offered price is unacceptable for the city," the spokesperson stated.

The future of Slezanka has been a topic for several recent election periods in Opava. The former city leadership had a study prepared. According to it, the building should have multifunctional use, both commercial and recreational. The current city leadership has classified Slezanka among its strategic projects and established a project team. "Independently, the use of the Slezanka building by the city is being examined as well as its sale or lease," stated the former mayor Tomáš Navrátil (ANO).

The Slezanka shopping center is a panel building constructed on the site where ancient brewery houses stood in the 17th century. The block, resembling a housing estate, connects with the historical development of the center and neighbors the Gothic church. The building has been a long-term problem for the city council. The previous city leadership purchased the property in the central Upper Square in 2008 from a private owner. At that time, city representatives expressed willingness to invest in the repair of the building or its demolition and construction of a new center. The city took out a loan of 270 million crowns to pay for the purchase price.

The department store was almost entirely vacant for a long time, and only in 2012 was an interested party found for its operation. However, they have long struggled to rent out the spaces. The city agreed to sell it to a development company. A new shopping center was to be built there. The previous city leadership signed a contract for its construction with the developer in 2005.

However, preparations dragged on, and recently there have been more frequent opinions suggesting that the shopping center should not be built. The change in opinions was also influenced by the construction of the nearby shopping center Breda & Weinstein. Spanning over 25,000 square meters, it offers space for more than 100 shops, a multiplex cinema with six screens, restaurants, and cafes. After negotiations, the developer withdrew from the project. Since then, the city council has been dealing with what to do next with Slezanka.