The Plzeň Region will sign a contract for the purchase of the dilapidated spa in Plzeň by the end of October

Plzeň - The Plzeň Region will sign a contract for the purchase of the dilapidated spa in the center of Plzeň by the end of October. For 120 million CZK, it will acquire the company TWB Praha s.r.o., which has owned the spa for 15 years. The purchase was approved by the councilors on September 16, while the opposition parties ODS and TOP 09 consider it non-transparent and risky. The region wants to have halls and clubs for interest-based, sports, and cultural activities of its organizations, spaces for promoting the region, and rare collections from inadequate storage areas of the West Bohemian Gallery. All formalities are being finalized before signing, said Governor Rudolf Špoták (Pirates) to ČTK. According to him, all legal matters will be resolved by the end of the year.

Investments in the reconstruction of the almost 30-year unused building will cost 1.2 to 1.5 billion CZK. The governor estimated that the region will allocate tens of millions of crowns in the budget for the spa next year. The exact sum will be determined once it is clear how much it will pay for energy starting in January. Today, the governor estimated these expenses to be four times higher than this year. "So far, it looks like we would start with studies and technical projects. The only construction work we can carry out next year is the demolition of old buildings in the spa courtyard, for which a demolition order is already in place. To exaggerate, we could start demolishing as early as tomorrow," he said. The region intends to carry out the demolition next year while simultaneously working on projects.

The revitalization project for the spa, developed by the Plzeň architectural firm Soukup Opl Švehla, has been completed for three years. "Next year, the demolition of the former boiler house and steam structures in the courtyard, which are not covered by the four-story new building where valuable collections of the West Bohemian Gallery will be stored, can begin, and there will also be an exhibition hall," said architect Jan Soukup. The spa features a heritage-protected facade and swimming pool basin. Based on current prices, Soukup estimated the costs for their restoration and reconstruction at 1.2 billion CZK.

An Italian investor, who bought the building in 2007 for 24 million crowns, wanted to create apartments and a hotel there but did not start any construction. Many locals are dissatisfied with the state of the spa, considering it along with the devastated "glass hell" Carimex on Rokycanská street to be the biggest embarrassments of the regional capital. In May, the city hall agreed with developers that Carimex would be demolished next year, and in 2024, construction of apartments, offices, and shops would begin in its place.