Liberec did not receive a single bid for the former eye sanatorium in Machnín

Liberec – The attempt of Liberec to sell the dilapidated chateau in Machnín, which was once a renowned children's eye sanatorium during the previous regime, ended in failure. The city demanded at least 20.2 million crowns. However, it received not a single bid, despite registering around 40 interested parties. The city hall intends to announce the competition again. Jiří Mejsnar, head of the mayor's office, informed ČTK about this.

"We plan to first reach out to the people who expressed interest to find out what they didn't like about it. Whether they found it too expensive or were bothered by the amount of the deposit, or if there was another reason," added Mejsnar. The deposit was set at 300,000 crowns, and it was required to present a plan for the use of the premises. Interest in the chateau on the outskirts of the city came from large developers, real estate agents, and private individuals. One noble family also expressed interest in the premises.

The former eye sanatorium is located on the road from Chrastava to Kryštof Valley. It is a sunny flat area with trees and access to the river, partly fenced by a massive historical wall. There is a view of the ruins of Hamrštejn Castle from it. The chateau, also known as Kleinert's villa, used to be an elegant residence set in a well-maintained park; today it is in a dilapidated state and has been leaking for a long time. It was probably built as a family residence in 1882 by factory owner Adolf Schwab, a politician and owner of a textile factory. After nationalization during the past regime, it became a sanatorium where children with visual impairments from all over the country were treated.

The city owned the premises until 1999, when it sold the chateau along with the caretaker's house and watchtower on a plot of nearly 500 square meters and retained only the surrounding land, approximately three hectares. A plan by several Liberec doctors, who committed to building a modern sanatorium, failed. Liberec regained the chateau and other buildings in 2019, but has no use for it.