The region will request the army for the building of the Hanácké Barracks in Olomouc

Olomouc - The Olomouc Region will ask the Ministry of Defense for the large building of the Hanácké barracks in the historic center of Olomouc, which the army left last autumn. If the regional authority is successful with its request, it is likely to build storage for the museum and library, offices for organizations providing European grants, and a shop for local food in the former barracks. This was stated today by Regional Governor Jiří Rozbořil (ČSSD) to reporters. ČTK is obtaining a statement from the ministry.
The Ministry of Defense, according to Rozbořil, has offered the empty barracks building to state institutions, which can acquire it for a symbolic price. "We have therefore established a working group that will request the transfer of the Hanácké barracks, map the needs of the region, and explore the possibilities for utilizing this property," Rozbořil said. He stated that the barracks building is in good condition, with an intact roof and internal installations, so it does not require expensive reconstruction. "We need space that will serve for the placement of the regional office's archive as well as for the storage of the Olomouc Ethnographic Museum and the scientific library, whose storages are insufficient," Rozbořil added.
The region could more easily tackle the task of building a European House thanks to this building. "The Ministry for Regional Development wants regions to establish European Houses, where all institutions providing European grants will be located, so that applicants have everything in one place," the governor said. The Hanácké barracks could also serve as a tourism center or a store focused on local food. "There could also be other state institutions that are currently in commercial leases," Rozbořil noted.
The regional authority does not consider moving part of its officials, who currently work in rented offices of the Regional Center Olomouc (RCO), to the Hanácké barracks. The twenty-story building of RCO, located near the main train station in Olomouc, was built by the eponymous company, in which Joseph Tesařík, the brother of the former Olomouc mayor and governor and now senator Martin Tesařík (ČSSD), has a majority stake.
In 2003, before Martin Tesařík took office as governor, the region rented eight floors of the building based on a tender for 12.4 million crowns annually. Together with services, the annual rental price reached almost 13 million. A total of 270 officials who could not fit in the new seat of the regional office were moved to the RCO building. Rozbořil said today to ČTK that moving the officials from RCO to the Hanácké barracks would require a substantial investment in office renovations and their equipment.
If the region succeeds in acquiring the Hanácké barracks, the Red Church will be vacated, in which the scientific library currently houses books. After renovations, according to the governor, the Red Church could be transformed into a cultural venue offering concerts and exhibitions.