Liberec is preparing to sell the former eye sanatorium in Machnín

Liberec - Liberec is preparing to sell a dilapidated chateau in the Machnín district, which once housed a renowned children's eye treatment facility. According to an appraisal, the value of the complex exceeds 20 million crowns. The city has owned it entirely again only since last year. Today, the deputy mayor for economics, Zbyněk Karban (ANO), informed journalists about this.

If the city council agrees to the sale of the late 19th-century chateau, the city will offer it on the real estate market at the beginning of next year. "By the end of March, we might know what the interest is," Karban stated.

The chateau on the outskirts of the city was once a luxurious residence set in a well-maintained forest park; today, it is in a deplorable condition and has been leaking for a long time. It was likely built as a family residence by the factory owner Adolf Schwab in 1882, who was also a politician and owned a textile factory. After the nationalization during the previous regime, it became a well-known eye sanatorium where children with vision defects from all over the country went to be treated. The city owned the entire complex until 1999, when it sold the chateau along with the caretaker's house and a watchtower on nearly 500 square meters, retaining only the surrounding land of about three hectares.

The city sold the chateau over 20 years ago below market value for 1.4 million crowns. The lower price was conditioned on a public benefit purpose. At that time, the properties were acquired by a company owned by several doctors from Liberec, who committed to build a modern sanatorium, which did not happen. Due to a breach of the transfer conditions, the city first sought the return of the chateau about ten years ago. However, negotiations were thwarted by the death of one of the shareholders of Sanatorium Machnín and unresolved inheritance proceedings. The liquidator did not recognize the preemptive right of Liberec, which threatened a lawsuit. Ultimately, the city leadership decided to prefer an agreement and repurchased the chateau last year for 2.8 million crowns.

Mayor Jaroslav Zámečník (Starostové pro Liberecký kraj) considers it an ideal scenario if a buyer is found next year who presents their plans in advance. "So that the complex does not fall into the hands of speculators and is not left to stagnate for another 20 to 30 years," the mayor stated. He fears that in such a case, the city would have to repurchase the complex again. "That would be very bitter," Zámečník added.