The brewery in Semín, where Gočár was born, is for sale

Pardubice - The dilapidated Baroque castle with a brewery in Semín, in the Pardubice region, where architect Josef Gočár was born, is for sale for three million crowns. The owner lacks the funds to repair the building. This was stated by Mayor Jaroslav Trubač. Gočár's buildings are among the peaks of Czech modern architecture.

"At one point, I suggested to the councilors that we buy the brewery and try to save it. But for us, as a small municipality with a budget of 6.5 million crowns, that is demagoguery, it wouldn't work," said the mayor.

The monument is owned by the son of eighty-year-old Jan Kubíček. Some time ago, they decided together to try to sell the properties. The estimated price was six million crowns, they are offering it for half. "I no longer have the strength to improve it. My youngest son doesn't have time," Kubíček told ČTK.

Kubíček bought the brewery about 25 years ago with other partners. After years, they could not agree on further repairs, and the last owner became Kubíček's son.

"I would most like to see a Gočár museum and a small brewery there, but the return on investment is long," Kubíček said. Repairs could cost tens of millions of crowns, which is difficult without subsidies, he added.

The Baroque castle in Semín was built in the 16th century. At the end of the 17th century, a brewery was added, which brewed beer for more than 200 years. One of the brewers was the father of Josef Gočár. The brewery still hides original technologies. The last owner was Jindřich Dvořák, who closed the unprofitable brewery in 1926. Afterwards, the gradually deteriorating properties were used as warehouses by the Pardubice and Chrudim breweries, and there were also apartments in it.

Governor Martin Netolický (ČSSD) regrets that the brewery is deteriorating, but according to him, it is beyond the capabilities of the regional administration to buy up all endangered monuments in the area. "I would not like the public sector to be perceived as if everything would be bought whenever there is no buyer," the governor said.