The Palacký University will not participate in the new auction for the sale of Hanácká Barracks

Olomouc - Palacký University will not participate in the new tender for the sale of the Hanácké barracks in the center of Olomouc, which will be organized next week by the Office for State Representation in Property Matters (ÚZSVM). University spokesman Egon Havrlant said this in response to a query from ČTK today. The office recently canceled the previous tender for the barracks, in which an unexpected twist occurred at the end of October. The university matched the price resulting from the electronic auction to obtain the barracks preferentially. However, the development company Redstone subsequently raised the purchase price for which this extensive property was auctioned in September. The university would have to match the new price again. It therefore requested the Ministry of Finance to verify the procedure. The ÚZSVM subsequently announced a new tender.

The new auction for the sale of the Hanácké barracks will start next Tuesday and is scheduled to end the following day. The minimum purchase price is 90 million crowns, which was 89 million in the previous auction. Anyone who pays a deposit of nine million by January 13 can register for the electronic auction.

"The conditions and the manner in which the tender was announced limit the university and effectively prevent its successful participation," Havrlant justified the UP management's decision not to participate in the new tender. "At the moment, the relevant authorities within the university are being internally informed about the matter. Subsequently, we want to inform both the university and the wider public about the content of our response to the ÚZSVM," he added.

The state has been trying to sell the Hanácké barracks since September 2021. However, the first bid only came in the ninth round of the auction last September. The Hanácké barracks were then auctioned off for 89.1 million CZK by the company Redstone, in which entrepreneur Richard Morávek has a stake. According to the auction conditions, the university could express interest in matching the price within the specified term and obtain the property from the state preferentially. The purchase of the Hanácké barracks was approved by the academic senate and the university's management board. Following that, the UP management requested the ÚZSVM to match the winning bid of 89.1 million crowns. The office informed Redstone about this, which then increased its offer to 90 million.

The university's management criticized the procedure. According to Rector Martin Procházka, it became clear that the ÚZSVM distinguishes between a closed electronic auction and a tender. Tesařová pointed out at the time that the tender ends either with the signing of a contract or its cancellation. Even after the closure of the electronic auction, it is therefore possible to increase the offered purchase price. This procedure, according to Tesařová, is allowed by a regulation from the Ministry of Finance.

The university wanted to build student accommodation capacities in the Hanácké barracks, which are in short supply. Consideration was also given to catering facilities, offices, and conference rooms. Part of the space was to be used as storage. The army used the Hanácké barracks for 170 years, and they have been empty since 2013. In 2020, the government approved their sale. Some time ago, the Olomouc region, together with the Olomouc city hall and UP, expressed interest in them. However, experts pointed out the poor technical condition of the Hanácké barracks and the high costs of reconstruction. As a result, the project from the self-governments and the university was abandoned.