Liberec will have a new owner of the castle in the city center, who will pay 81 million CZK for it

Liberec - Liberec will become the new owner of a castle that is one of the oldest buildings in the city. It will buy the area of 1.2 hectares from a private owner for 81 million crowns, a transaction approved today by Liberec city councilors. 32 voted for the purchase, two were against, and four abstained. The castle is currently owned by Ústí Development from the MEI group.

The town hall will pay 80 million for the monument-protected building with land and park, and another million is for its furnishings. “It is divided into three annual installments,” said Deputy Mayor Adam Lenert (ANO). This year, the town hall will pay 40 million, 30 million next year, and the remaining 11 million in two years.

One of the oldest buildings in Liberec has undergone many renovations, and not much of the original remains. The most valuable part is the chapel, which was added to the castle by Kateřina of Redern from 1604 to 1606. The castle in the upper center has served not only as a noble residence but also housed a court, a hostel, the headquarters of the State Forests and Estates, a university, and at the height of its glory, Skloexport had one of the most extensive glass exhibitions in the world there. Now the castle is empty for most of the year. Talks about the city's possible acquisition of the castle have been ongoing for several years. Approximately seven years ago, the town hall estimated the price for the purchase of the castle at 60 to 100 million crowns. Lenert stated today that the negotiated price is 20 percent lower than the estimated one. According to a valuation report from last year, the castle is worth 97 million crowns.

The town hall has plans for the area. According to Lenert, they are already negotiating with the organizers of the international festival of animated films Anifilm to provide them with the so-called white wing. “So, for the white wing, it would be a long-term lease for Anifilm so they can access grants and adapt that wing. As for the red wing, the one connected to the Rederns, we are exploring the possibility of relocating part of the office there, and we have documentation from the past prepared for its modification for the needs of a basic art school,” he told ČTK today.

Deputy Mayor Jiří Janďourek (Mayors for the Liberec Region) estimated today that the basic renovation of the castle will cost 40 to 50 million crowns. Opposition councilor Petr Židek (former ODS) believes that this is a significantly undervalued price. “It will be 300 to 350 million crowns. You'll see that my words will come true,” he said today.

The town hall also wants to make the castle accessible to the public. For the summer, it plans tours of the interior and a cultural program in the park with film screenings and theater performances.