The Hanácké barracks were purchased at auction by the company Salibary of Richard Saliba

Olomouc – The winner of the electronic auction for the Olomouc Hanácké barracks is the Brno company Salibary of Richard Saliba. CTK was told today by the legal representative of the auction winner, Zdeněk Joukl. The barracks were auctioned off for 91 million, with the last bid of 100,000 crowns ahead of the Olomouc development group Redstone. A total of ten bids were made, raising the final amount by one million crowns. The state managed to sell the cultural monument on the tenth attempt.

"In Brno, Mr. Saliba's development group has done ten renovations, with significant properties including the Padowetz Palace, Jalta Palace, Grand Hotel, a school on Šujanovo Square, and others. Mr. Saliba conducted his first inspection of the barracks last year and has visited the property several times. He is familiar with the property from when he lived in Olomouc," said lawyer Joukl. He added that the owner of the company has already contacted Olomouc Mayor Miroslav Žbánek (ANO) and plans to approach Olomouc Governor Ladislav Okleštěk (ANO) and representatives of Palacký University to discuss possible cooperation.

In the 24-hour electronic auction run by the Office for the Representation of the State in Property Matters (ÚZSVM), which started on Tuesday at 10:00, two participants actively took part, with the first two bids made on the first day of the auction. The total amount increased significantly in the dramatic last five minutes before the auction ended, when another six bids were made. The minimum price ultimately rose by one million crowns to 91 million. In addition to the developer from Brno, the Redstone group also participated in the auction. "We can confirm that we participated in the auction, where the decision was made in the final moments and someone had more luck," said company spokesperson Michal Folta.

ÚZSVM will now, according to the office spokesperson, invite the winner of the electronic auction to sign the purchase agreement, which will be sent to the Ministry of Culture for approval in accordance with the law, spokesperson ÚZSVM Michaela Tesařová told CTK today. "Negotiations with ÚZSVM will begin without delay to end the period of legal uncertainty and repeated auctions or any challenges, and the property will be transferred to the ownership of Salibary," added Joukl.

The extensive property in the historical center of Olomouc has been offered for sale by the state since September 2021. In the first auction, the minimum price was set at 262 million crowns, which ÚZSVM then reduced. The first bid was not made until the ninth round of the auction in September last year. The Hanácké barracks were then auctioned by Redstone company for 89.1 million CZK, in which entrepreneur Richard Morávek has a stake.

However, Palacký University also expressed interest in purchasing the Hanácké barracks, and under the auction conditions, it could match the price within the specified timeframe and obtain the barracks from the state preferentially. After this approach was approved by both the academic senate and the university's board of trustees, UP proceeded, but Redstone subsequently increased its offer to 90 million. UP would have to match the price again. Therefore, it requested the Ministry of Finance to check the procedure. Subsequently, ÚZSVM announced new proceedings.

The university did not participate in the new selection proceeding. "Competing for the acquisition of the property with private investors under the current conditions is not realistic for us. We would not be able to react operatively to the development of bids in the auction since we require the consent of the academic senate and the board of trustees in the decision-making process. Although we could work with a pre-approved financial limit, given the transparent procedures of a public institution, we would essentially be playing with our cards on the table from the start," said UP spokesperson Egon Havrlant to CTK.

The protected monument from the 19th century, which is a four-winged building, was transferred to ÚZSVM based on a government resolution in 2017 from the Ministry of Defense. The government approved its sale in 2020. The building is an important urban element of the city and an example of classical military architecture with a unique construction and military history. In connection with the war in Ukraine, the office loaned these premises to the Olomouc Region, which operated the Regional Assistance Center for Help to Ukraine (KACPU) here until the end of January 2024. Since then, the property has been empty again.