The mill councilors approved the conditions for the purchase of the monumentally protected Žilka Villa

Mělník - The Mělník council approved on Monday the conditions for the purchase of the monumentally protected Žilka villa. The specific use of the building has not yet been decided. The property in the city center could serve, for example, for educational or cultural activities. The contract for the purchase of the villa will be discussed by the councilors next year. The city is negotiating with a real estate agency, and the specific price has not yet been disclosed, said Jan Denemark Nováček, spokesperson for the Mělník town hall, to ČTK today. According to ČTK information, the price of the villa should be 15 million crowns.

"The next step will be the preparation of the contract, which must again be approved by the council. In the meantime, the development department will evaluate the scope of necessary investments, and we will find the most suitable use," said the city spokesperson.

The previous leadership of Mělník tried to acquire the villa as early as 2017. They participated in an auction held by the Office for Representation of the State in Property Matters (ÚZSVM). The city council allocated 6.6 million crowns for the auction, but it was won by a person who paid seven million crowns.

The Žilka villa, also known as the Villa Marie Neumannová, was built in 1906 in the style of Viennese Secession and is named after the first pastor of the evangelical congregation in Mělník, František Žilka, who also became its owner. Neumannová had it built according to a design by architect Bohumil Hypšman. It stands in a monumentally protected zone of the castle and the historical core of Mělník and received monument protection last year.