From part of the derelict Palace Hotel in Ostrava, there is a student campus

Ostrava - Part of the dilapidated Palace hotel on Smetanovo Square in the center of Ostrava has become the students' Campus Palace. The renovation cost more than one hundred million crowns, and the building has created 111 single to triple rooms. Out of 208 beds, only seven are available. CTK was informed today by project coordinator Marie Škrlová. The new campus was open for public view today, but it was already fully booked as a hotel during the Colours of Ostrava festival two weeks ago.

The hotel was renovated by the company Sedm stromů, which split in April. The owner is now Palace Holding, and the operator is Kampus Palace.

Practically only the large marble staircase remains from the interior of the original hotel; everything else had to be completely reconstructed or rebuilt. "We added partition walls, which we soundproofed, so that students have complete privacy," said Škrlová.

The rooms are divided into more than 70 units, each with its own bathroom and kitchenette with a built-in refrigerator. Some of the rooms are significantly atypical, located in the attic or in the tower. Students will pay between 2200 and 4000 crowns per month for the rooms, including services.

"The price includes utilities, a gym located in the basement, an indoor courtyard with a mini-cinema, and a student room where we will plan lectures, various workshops, and events, but students can also use it for their own businesses," said Škrlová. Students residing there can pay extra for laundry services or meals.

Students who live in the campus will also work as receptionists. During the summer, the campus will operate as a hotel.

The Palace hotel complex consists of several buildings, and the campus is located in two of them. The other buildings are empty, and investors will likely decide their future based on the success of the student dormitories.

The buildings were constructed in the first third of the 20th century, and in its second half, the originally Art Nouveau structures underwent insensitive renovations. This is also why they were not declared cultural monuments, except for the part where the National café used to be.