Litomyšl may return to the plan to sell the Klára villa near the castle

Litomyšl – Litomyšl may once again return to the plan to sell the Klára villa near the castle. Two interested parties wanted to buy it, but neither of their offers received sufficient support during the town council meeting on February 24. The sale would likely take place only after the autumn municipal elections, said Deputy Mayor Radomil Kašpar to reporters today.

"I believe we will raise this issue at future council meetings so we can discuss the possible conditions for a second round. My vision is that we would leave space for potential other interested parties for the remainder of our term, and after the municipal elections, the new council should have the necessary materials to decide what will happen with the villa next," said Kašpar. According to him, the original approach of the town, which prefers the proposed plan in its evaluation, should be maintained in the sale.

The town offered the villa for a minimum price of six million crowns, as it does not have tens of millions for the necessary reconstruction. A condition for the purchase was that its future use should benefit residents and respect the historical character of the place. The company Kubík, which mainly operates retail and wholesale businesses in food and textiles, expressed interest. It offered 11 million crowns for the property and is located next to the villa in the so-called new brewery. They wanted to combine both sites and build an experiential congress hotel with wellness facilities, a brewery, and partially spa operations and accommodations in the villa, as well as a large underground parking lot. They also promised to create 78 new jobs.

The second interested parties, the Kučera couple, wanted to turn the villa into a community center with a café and workshop for seniors. They also considered cooperating with the Faculty of Restoration of the University of Pardubice, which is based in the town and needs accommodation for foreign students, or possibly further rental. They were willing to pay six million crowns for the building.

"We are sorry that the council did not adopt the project's benefits for the public and the whole town, led by the public parking lot. In response to the questions about the future that are now coming our way, we say we will take some time to evaluate whether we will move toward a project without public benefits or whether we will still attempt the current project in some form," said Lilie Miroslava and Martin Kubík, owners of Kubík company, in the town newsletter.

A petition was created against the sale to the Kubík company. The authors of the Petition for the Preservation of the Genius Loci of the Castle Hill in Litomyšl consider the company's plan to be disproportionately ambitious and risky. They are also bothered that it would be close to the Renaissance castle.

Litomyšl acquired the building in 2020 for five million crowns from the Pardubice Region. Until 2018, it housed a long-term care hospital, but the property was in poor condition, and the regional council relocated the hospital to the area of Litomyšl Hospital.

The villa, built in 1895, is in the neo-Renaissance style, commissioned by brewer Karel Sedlák from Litomyšl. From 1929, it served as the Home of Saint Klára under the administration of the Order of Saint Charles Borromeo, which was gifted by Sedlák. Since 1949, it has been state property. The department for long-term patients was there from 1974.