The Property Office is offering the Štiříň Castle for the fourth time, having reduced the price to 1.445 billion CZK

Prague - The Office for the Representation of the State in Property Matters (ÚZSVM) will attempt for the fourth time to sell the Central Bohemian castle of Štiřín in an electronic auction in January. The starting price has been reduced by an additional 225 million crowns from the previous attempt last week to 1.445 billion crowns. ÚZSVM informed about this in a press release today. No one registered for the previous auctions of the castle. If the auction is successful, it would be the largest sale of property in the history of the property office.

During the first attempt to sell the castle in September, ÚZSVM set the price at 3.3 billion crowns, and in October during the second attempt, the starting price was 2.5 billion crowns. In last week's auction, the property office offered the property for 1.7 billion crowns, excluding part of the land from the auction compared to the previous two attempts. This was a reaction to the decision of the Central Bohemian regional office, according to which these lands, which make up part of the golf course and the shore of a pond, are intended for fulfilling forest functions. "The minimum price in this round of the selection procedure corresponds to the expert assessment," stated ÚZSVM regarding the determination of the current starting price.

The auction will start on January 22 at noon and will last for 24 hours. ÚZSVM set the minimum bid at 50,000 crowns. Interested parties wishing to participate in the auction must pay a deposit of 20 million crowns no later than the day before it starts. ÚZSVM offers potential buyers tours of the castle on either January 7 or January 13.

The Štiřín castle, located about 25 kilometers from Prague, 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 site and transferred it to the property office in June last year. At the time of the transfer, the site was already closed, according to the office. This year, the office announced that no other state institution expressed interest in the castle, and therefore it will initiate the sale to private interested parties.

The Štiřín castle was built in the mid-18th century. It acquired its current appearance around 1900 after modifications based on the design of architect Jiří Stibral. The Štiřín castle came into state ownership after World War II as a confiscated property; before that, it had been owned by the Ringhoffer family for decades. After the war, it was briefly used by scouts as well. Between 1985 and 1993, modifications were made to the castle so it could be used as a hotel.

The Štiřín castle is not the only property that the property office has recently struggled to sell. The Prague Broadway Palace has unsuccessfully been attempted to be sold seven times, with the most recent unsuccessful attempt in September at a starting price of 891 million crowns. In November, the attempt to sell the Prague Veleslavín castle for 580 million crowns also ended unsuccessfully. In the past, ÚZSVM has also failed to auction properties such as the Prague Invalidovna, which was subsequently taken over by the National Heritage Institute.