People in Kamenice, according to the mayor, do not believe that someone will buy Štiřín

Kamenice - People in Kamenice near Prague remain calm about the upcoming auction of the Štiřín Castle; according to Mayor Pavel Čermák (independent), no one believes that it will sell on the first attempt. If someone is truly interested in the castle, they will wait for the price to drop in subsequent rounds, Čermák told ČTK today. The sale will take place in the form of an electronic auction, which starts on September 11 at noon and ends two days later. The minimum price is 3.3 billion crowns. Before the auction, interested parties must pay a deposit of 30 million crowns.

Čermák does not expect anyone to obtain the castle in the first round. "I think everyone is currently waiting. My personal opinion is that if someone wants to buy it, they will definitely wait until the price drops by more than two-thirds," the mayor believes.

He has not heard credible reports of anyone being interested in the castle. "I don't have anything that could be considered at least somewhat serious information. These are just speculations from people that I cannot verify," he stated. According to him, there were discussions among people about various controversial entrepreneurs or arms dealers. "But I think it has no real basis," Čermák added.

The municipality of Kamenice, where the Štiřín estate is located, was interested in utilizing the castle, but could not come to an agreement with the state on a joint project. According to Čermák, there could still be room for further negotiations if the auction of Štiřín is unsuccessful. "The Minister of Finance said that if it does not sell, they are ready for negotiations, but he did not specify how many attempts it would take before it does not sell," Čermák added.

The castle previously served as a hotel with a restaurant, wellness center, and golf course. Originally, Štiřín was managed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which announced that it did not need the estate and transferred it to the Office for Representation of the State in Property Matters (ÚZSVM) last June. At the time of the transfer, the office stated that the estate was already closed. This year, the office announced that no other state institution had shown interest in the castle, and therefore it would initiate a sale to private interested parties.

According to the property office, the costs of managing the estate are high. The general director of the office, Kateřina Arajmu, told members of the parliamentary control committee in March this year that the empty estate costs the state 600,000 crowns per month, with the largest amount accounted for by the maintenance of the golf course. The control committee protested against the sale and proposed that the management of Štiřín be transferred, for example, to the Chamber of Deputies. The municipality also opposed the auction, proposing a joint project with the state. According to them, part of the castle could be used for clinics and a kindergarten, while the rest could continue to be utilized by the state.

Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský (Pirates) argued last May that the operation of the estate is unprofitable. According to him, in the past ten years, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has only organized seven events there, and interest from other state institutions has also been low. The ministerial contribution for the operation of the castle amounted to 260 million crowns during that time, according to Lipavský.

Štiřín Castle was built in the mid-18th century. It took on its current appearance around 1900 after modifications according to the design of architect Jiří Stibral. From 1985 to 1993, adjustments were made to the castle so it could be used as a hotel. In 1945, the state became the owner of the castle. In the past, scouts used Štiřín, who later unsuccessfully sued for the castle. However, in 2005, the court ruled that the current scouting organization Junák had no rights to the castle.