The Zelená Hora Castle near Nepomuk will have a new owner, the municipality will sell it for 30 million CZK

The Monastery - Castle Zelená Hora near Nepomuk in the Plzeň region, famous for the discovery of the Zelená Hora manuscript and the satirical novel Black Barons, will gain a new owner. The Municipality of Monastery, to which the monument belongs, has decided to sell the castle. It will be purchased for 30 million crowns by Klaus Timber, a large wood-processing company operating in the area, said Mayor Lukáš Brož today to ČTK (non-party - For a More Beautiful Monastery). The new owner has promised to make the castle accessible to the public and to gradually repair it.

The municipality announced its intention to sell the castle in March, with a total of five offers received. "We leaned towards the offer from Klaus Timber. Among other things, they offered to pay immediately, claiming they have their own resources. Other interested parties would have to take a loan or suggested that they would pay the price in installments," said the mayor.

He believes that the transfer of the property and the purchase agreement could be resolved by the end of summer. The estimated price of the monument was around 35 million Kč. The price at which the municipality will ultimately sell the castle corresponds to the current economic situation, according to the mayor.

The castle complex on a 4.5-hectare property has belonged to the small Municipality of Monastery since 1992, which does not have enough funds for its repair and maintenance. The sale also included the bailiff's house, the stables, a tower at the entrance gate, and the recently renovated Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. The complex needs extensive complete repairs. "Basically, only the roofs are done, which we have been repairing gradually," said Brož.

Two years ago, the Plzeň Region, the Ministry of Culture, the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes, Memory of the Nation, the Jan Nepomucký Society, and the town of Nepomuk began preparing the creation of exhibitions on the history of the region and communist totalitarianism. The region provided the municipality with just under two million crowns for a study of the castle's use, the passporting of the buildings, and for a basic architectural-historical survey. The region was also one of the candidates for the purchase.

"After the Municipality of Monastery decided in the spring to sell the castle, we wanted to ensure that it would remain in the hands of the Nepomuk people. We didn't want it to be bought by someone for speculation. My wife and I are both Nepomuk patriots and enthusiasts who were born here, live here, and our foundation has long supported the region," said Marcel Klaus, chairman of the board and director of Klaus Timber, which has been operating in the region since 1998.

The manufacturer of atypical wooden pallets and packaging, which has three plants in Nepomuk with 450 employees, has annual revenues between 1.5 to two billion crowns. It exports 70 percent of its production. Its clients include BMW, Siemens, and Bosch.

"Of the nine councilors, eight voted for us," Klaus stated. According to him, such a cultural monument and historically valuable landmark of the region should remain state-owned or be owned by the local government. However, the village of Monastery did not have the funds for its repairs and maintenance. "We have the resources to move the castle complex forward with our people in the coming years," he said.

The company, however, does not have grand ambitions and does not have hundreds of millions for a quick reconstruction; according to Klaus, it will be a long-term process. The company will sign a reservation agreement with a real estate agency in the coming days and a purchase agreement at the turn of September and October.