The state institutions will again receive an offer to take over the Štiřín Castle

Prague - State institutions will again receive an offer to take over the Štiřín castle in Central Bohemia. If they are not interested, the state will consider issuing a new tender for the sale of the estate. This was stated today by the Ministry of Finance in response to a query from ČTK, which informed the government about the intention for the handling of the castle on Monday. The Office for Representation of the State in Property Matters (ÚZSVM) has repeatedly failed to sell the castle.

"At this moment, the estate will be prioritized for offering to state institutions again. If there is no interest within the state, we are considering announcing another round of electronic bidding, or possibly dividing the estate into smaller parts for better marketability. ÚZSVM is actively negotiating with the municipality of Kamenice on this matter," stated the Ministry of Finance. Kamenice has previously expressed interest in a free transfer of certain parts of the castle estate, partly for the purpose of building a kindergarten.

ÚZSVM took over the Štiřín castle in June 2023 from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and subsequently offered it to other state institutions. Since none expressed interest, the property office transferred the castle's furnishings to the National Heritage Institute and then offered the estate for auction.

The property office originally offered the Štiřín castle for sale for 3.3 billion crowns. In subsequent auctions, the price was gradually lowered, and part of the land in the castle park estate was also removed from the offer, which was taken over by Lesy ČR, as well as the land on which Kamenice plans to build sidewalks. The most recent, ninth attempt to sell the castle took place in December. A bidder registered for the auction but did not offer even the starting price of 720 million crowns.

The 18th-century castle previously served as a hotel with a restaurant, wellness center, and golf course. It was originally managed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which announced that it did not need the estate, and subsequently transferred it to the property office. At the time of transfer, the estate was closed. The current appearance of the castle was influenced by modifications from around 1900 according to the project by architect Jiří Stibral and also by modifications from 1985 to 1993. For decades, it was owned by the Ringhoffer family, and the Štiřín castle came into state ownership after World War II as a confiscation.