Almost all buildings in Kyselka are now owned by o.p.s. Lázně Kyselka

Karlovy Vary - The Revitalization Investment Company (RIS) transferred its historical buildings and lands in the complex of the former Kyselka spa to the property of the public benefit company Spa Kyselka without compensation. As a result, it became the owner of nearly all buildings and lands forming the former spa complex, reported today to ČTK the media representative of Karlovy Vary Mineral Waters (KMV), Michal Donath.
     The area of the former spa has been deteriorating since the time of privatization in the early 1990s. KMV owns six historic buildings in Kyselka, some of which are already being restored, while RIS manages most of the others. Despite several bold plans for their restoration emerging in the last 20 years, none have ever been realized, and the historically valuable properties are now in a catastrophic state.
     In total, the RIS transferred eight properties and 11 plots, of which nine are building sites. Of the eight properties, six are immovable cultural monuments. Owning the properties will allow the public benefit company to apply for grants for restoration from the Ministry of Culture's programs and other sources.
     "By entering the company in the commercial register and transferring the properties to the ownership of the public benefit company, the fundamental conditions for a realistic restoration of the Kyselka spa have been established. We can thus build on the preparatory work already carried out aimed at determining the future use of the buildings," stated the chairman of the board of the public benefit company Spa Kyselka, Vladimír Lažanský.
     According to Lažanský, the primary mission of the public benefit company is to develop a concept for the overall restoration of the architectural and heritage value of the former Kyselka spa and its further meaningful use. "However, we do not expect that spa operations will resume in Kyselka in the future. Our goal, however, is clearly the conversion of the entire complex for the better," added Lažanský.
     The establishment of the public benefit company Spa Kyselka was announced last October. In the board of directors sit, alongside Lažanský, the grandson of the founder of the spa, Rudolf Mattoni, and the general director of KMV, Alessandro Pasquale. The supervisory board includes representatives of the municipality of Kyselka, Karlovy Vary, and a representative of student activists who have advocated for the restoration of the former spa. KMV contributed a total of 20 million Czech korunas to launch the public benefit company.
     The establishment of the public benefit company was also welcomed last year by the Association of Associations for the Protection and Development of Cultural Heritage (ASORKD), which has long criticized the condition of the monuments and helped draw public attention to the issues in Kyselka. The association is convinced that KMV bears at least a moral responsibility for the current state.