At noon, the auction of the former ÚSTR residence in Prague's Žižkov district begins

Prague - Today at noon, an electronic auction begins for the former seat of the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes (ÚSTR) in Prague's Žižkov district. The shell of the building and two plots of land are being offered by the Office for the Representation of the State in Property Matters (ÚZSVM) for 79.12 million crowns. The City of Prague, which has shown interest in the property on Siwiecova Street, will have the opportunity to match the highest bid in the auction.

The building for sale is in poor condition. "The structure is the shell of an administrative building that contains no office space. The building cannot be used in any way, as it is in a half-finished state; the overall reconstruction of the property was never successfully completed," stated ÚZSVM. It pointed out that there are missing outer walls from the second floor, and the building lacks windows and utility installations.

The building was constructed in the mid-1970s and served as the headquarters of the Institute of Economic Information, then the Ministry of Informatics, and since 2007, the ÚSTR, which began a comprehensive reconstruction. However, it was never completed, and the building remains a shell. The ÚSTR had to relocate and now resides in the Archa Palace on Na Poříčí street. The unsuccessful reconstruction and preservation of the facility cost around 60 million crowns, and the case due to suspicions of mismanagement in the past was investigated by the Ministry of Finance and the police.

If the building were successfully acquired by the city, according to its representatives, it would be demolished. Prague 3 would then want to use the plots for access and facilities for the neighboring Victoria Žižkov stadium, which it owns. City councilor Adam Zábranský (Pirates) also recently told ČTK that the city could build rental apartments there.