The region will sell the castle in Skřivany in the Hradec Králové Region for 20.5 million crowns

Hradec Králové – The leadership of the Hradec Králové Region has selected a buyer for the nationally protected neo-Gothic castle in Skřivany in the Hradec Králové district. The regional council decided today that Marcel and Dušan Rykrovi could acquire the castle grounds for 20.5 million crowns. This was reported by the spokesman of the regional authority, Dan Lechmann. The regional councilors will vote on the sales proposal on June 22. The future owners promise partial public access to the monument. The region does not have long-term plans for the site.

The region has been trying to sell the castle for several years. In the current sales round, two entities expressed interest in it. The unsuccessful bidder was entrepreneur Pavel Plicka.

"Marcel and Dušan Rykrovi expressed interest in the castle, planning to gradually renovate it, furnish it with period furniture, partially open it to the public, and open a cafe in the premises. One of their business activities is furniture restoration, and they plan to utilize the non-residential spaces of the castle as workshops for restoration," Lechmann stated.

The region first offered the unused estate to its contributory organizations, but none showed interest. According to the region, the restoration and maintenance of the estate in an appropriate technical condition would require tens of millions of crowns.

"Currently, only essential maintenance of the properties and the castle park is ongoing, with annual costs amounting to approximately one million crowns. Selling will save these costs, and furthermore, the new entity will ensure further development of this site. For the community and locals, the future owner also promises to reopen for public events and other social gatherings," said regional councilor for investments Zdeněk Praus (ANO).

The region organized the first trio of voluntary auctions in 2023 with starting prices of 38.2 million crowns, then 34 million crowns, and finally 29 million crowns, but no interested party was found. The region subsequently advertised the castle on websites focused on real estate sales. Only four interested parties submitted specific offers, with the highest being two offers of 20.5 million crowns.

According to an expert appraisal from 2023, the value of the estate was 38.2 million crowns, while this year's appraisal estimated the price at 31 million crowns. "The offered price is based on the necessity of an expensive renovation of the property, which is nationally protected and currently reflects the maximum achievable price on the real estate market," added Lechmann.

The castle in Skřivany originated as a fort and was gradually rebuilt from the 16th century into its current form as a castle building. In 1945, part of it was converted into apartments, and later it began to serve as a Social Care Institute. The institute ceased operations in 2017. The building then temporarily housed war refugees from Ukraine, and it has been empty recently.