The town hall in Miroslav will announce a referendum on the sale of the chateau

Miroslav (Znojemsko) - The town hall in Miroslav in the Znojmo region will announce a referendum this year, asking residents to express their opinion on the planned sale of the castle. Architect Zdeněk Fránek is interested in it. He wants to turn the considerably dilapidated building, which will cost millions of crowns to renovate, into an international center for architecture. The city leadership wants to ensure that the people agree, said deputy mayor Roman Volf (ČSSD) today to ČTK.
Miroslav has owned the castle since 1993. Before that, it housed an agricultural school for many years. Before World War II, it belonged to the family of Vienna's sugar manufacturers, the Stumer family. Although their descendant lives in Venezuela, he is not interested in reclaiming the castle. The city has been dealing for years with what to do with the building. It does not have the money for its reconstruction.
In the past, Miroslav held a referendum. Nearly 90 percent of the people who participated agreed to sell the heritage site. However, the referendum was not valid, as only 30 percent of voters participated. The law required at least half participation for the referendum result to be valid.
"The law has already reduced this mandatory quota to 35 percent. We anticipate that we will achieve such participation," Volf added. According to him, the restoration of the Miroslav castle is a project that will take many years. Therefore, the town hall wants to know the opinion of the people.
Just for the basic restoration of the heritage site, it will be necessary to invest two to three million crowns. This money is essential for ensuring stability, repairing the roof, facades, restoring windows, and insulating the building against moisture. These works are expected to be completed within three years. Fránek wants to use the castle for conferences, seminars, and exhibitions focused on architecture.
The castle stands on the site of a former Gothic water fortress. It was rebuilt into a Gothic-Renaissance castle after 1531. Around 1670, the castle was baroque-modified by the Counts of Náchod.