Uh. The municipality will buy the monastery in the city center for 42 million crowns

Uherské Hradiště – Uherské Hradiště will purchase the Baroque monastery and adjacent land in the city center from the Franciscans. This was approved today by the city's representatives, with 19 voting in favor and eight abstaining. The municipality will pay 42 million crowns for the historical complex, which will be repaid over ten years. The specific use of the monastery, which is a cultural monument, will be decided by the city authorities later. Currently, the monastery is leased by the archive.

According to the city's leadership, the purpose of acquiring the monument is primarily to protect cultural heritage and to ensure the city’s influence on its future use and fate. "I cannot imagine that the city would not take advantage of such offers. We did not want to allow a monument of such significance to fall into private investors' hands, as its fate could then be quite uncertain," stated Mayor Stanislav Blaha (ODS).

According to the mayor, the city does not want to rush the decision on the use of the monastery. "Concrete proposals for the use of the monument and adjacent land will be preceded by responsible conceptual preparation," Blaha stated. He believes the site deserves representative use for a significant public institution that guarantees public access and presentation of the architectural and historical values of the monument, including the unique Baroque interiors with preserved furnishings.

Opposition representative Jan Zapletal (Independents for Hradiště) did not support the purchase of the monastery. "I am upset with the Franciscans for even selling it. They are getting rid of property that has been paid for by believers for 600 years," Zapletal said. Together with several other representatives, he also criticized that the city does not have a clear vision of what it will do with the building and land.

The Province of the Franciscan Brothers offered the monastery to the city for purchase last December. "We are unable to use the building ourselves for our life and service; from this perspective, it is more of a burden for us. We are looking for a partner who will guarantee good care and use of the monastery building," said Jeroným František Jurka, provincial vicar of the Province of the Franciscan Brothers, to Czech Television recently. The Franciscans will continue to keep the Church of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary and the convent in the city.

The monastery complex is rarely accessible to the public. In it, the State District Archive of Uherské Hradiště is on a long-term lease, which lasts until 2025. "Currently, we are addressing, together with the Office for Representing the State in Property Affairs, our future premises, which will be state-owned and will also be more suitable for us in terms of capacity," said archive director Lukáš Čoupek to ČTK today.

The Franciscan monastery was founded at the end of the 15th century and was rebuilt into its present Baroque form in the second half of the 17th century and the beginning of the 18th century. Its most valuable interior is the restored refectory with rich stucco decorations, frescoes, and paintings. Between 1975 and 1997, craftsmen carried out a complete reconstruction of the monastery. Until 1967, the monastery was owned by the Order of Friars Minor, later by the state, and since 2015, it has been owned by the Province of the Franciscan Brothers, which acquired it based on so-called church restitutions.