ZČU has not yet managed to sell the building of the former headquarters of Plzeň's Škoda

Plzeň - The University of West Bohemia (ZČU) in Plzeň has not yet managed to sell the extensive building of the former General Directorate of Škoda on Tylova Street near the city center. On Monday, after 45 days, the deadline for submitting offers to purchase the property ended, but the university did not receive any relevant offers. Andrea Čandová, spokesperson for ZČU, reported this today. The university is prepared to offer the building for sale again, but a deadline has not yet been set.

The previous management of the school purchased the large property in 2010. For several years, the Faculty of Health Studies was located there, and briefly, the Faculty of Economics. Since 2017, the building has been empty, and the university maintains it. Given the current and expected number of students, it is no longer meaningfully usable for the university, and the strategic plan does not include it. "The aim of the university's management from the beginning was not to sell the building at any price, but to wait for an offer with a relevant price. This was estimated at 174.6 million crowns," the spokesperson stated.

It is not yet clear when and how the school will offer the property again. "Currently, the university management is considering adjusting the sales method, finding other ways to better disseminate information about the sale among potential buyers, and at the request of some interested parties, also extending the deadline for submitting offers," added Čandová.

ZČU was selling the building in a public tender for the highest possible amount. The property was first offered in 2022, when several interested parties contacted it. However, there were formal deficiencies in the documentation that have now been resolved.

The previous management of ZČU bought the building in 2010 with plans for reconstruction and the creation of facilities for selected faculties. At that time, ZČU had 19,000 students; now there are 12,000. Although ZČU anticipates that the number of students will increase by several thousand in the future, it will not utilize the property. The university has also invested in other facilities and built new facilities for faculties and research institutes on campus.

The building is set in a row of buildings, with four above-ground and two underground floors. "Its attractiveness lies in the extensive spaces with good civic amenities and very good accessibility to the center," Čandová said in April. According to her, the neighboring industrial area presented an interesting investment opportunity for light manufacturing, storage spaces, or multifunctional use. The adjacent Emil Škoda Square is also set to be revitalized by the city and transformed into a fully-fledged urban district with apartments, shops, and offices.