Properties in the Jewish Quarter of Třebíč do not attract buyers very much

Třebíč - The Jewish Quarter of Třebíč has been a UNESCO World Heritage site for 15 years, making it more attractive to tourists, but not so much for property owners. According to real estate agencies surveyed, sales here take up to four times longer than elsewhere in Třebíč. Only in rare cases does someone prefer this location. For some entrepreneurs, it is a strategic place, and money from tourists represents a significant share of their revenue. In recent years, the former Jewish school, hospital, and several other municipal and private buildings have been renovated. Repairs may seem slow, but they are natural; it shouldn't be a polished Disneyland, said councilor Pavel Heřman to ČTK.

As the first mayor of the city after 1989, he has been involved in the development of the Jewish Quarter from the beginning. The first interventions began in the early 90s with infrastructure repairs. Only later followed the restoration of individual houses. Today, 27 of them have the status of a cultural monument. The city regularly contributes to their repairs, although according to Heřman, only a maximum of several hundred thousand crowns.

According to real estate agents, an apartment in Třebíč can be sold within three months, and a family house within six months. In the Jewish Quarter, it is not uncommon for a property to be on the market for a year, an entire house, or even two. Rarely does anyone directly seek the Jewish town. The disinterest arises from the specifics of the location, not from its status as a monument. Some properties are too shady, others damp, have complicated layouts, or accessibility issues. Limited parking options, along with small or nonexistent gardens, also deter buyers.

The Jewish Quarter has restaurants, hotels, art studios, as well as company headquarters and other businesses. The company Česká whisky s. r. o. is also located here. According to its operational director Ondřej Chládek, Třebíč is known abroad thanks to its monuments, and the UNESCO brand works well for foreign tourists. The company benefits from visitors attracted to the city due to cultural events held in the Jewish Quarter for about a quarter of a year. "When we started repairing our house, we knew it would be more complicated since it is a cultural monument. We worked with the conservationists as early as the project phase, and I must say they were rather accommodating," said Chládek.

As stated by the website of the National Heritage Institute, the completely preserved layout of the Jewish Quarter, with more than 120 houses and narrow alleys, represents the original extent of the ghetto that emerged within the territory confined by the Jihlava River and the hill of Hrádek. Its current problem is parking. Residents and entrepreneurs must have permission from the city, but having a permit does not guarantee them a free spot. According to Heřman, this is still only a temporary solution; in the future, a parking garage should help. However, this depends on a private investor. One of the options, according to Heřman, could be to utilize the former factory building on Havlíčkovo nábřeží for this purpose.

Besides cars, the city hall is also trying to remove garbage containers from the streets of the Jewish Quarter. For the second year, a system has been in place where people keep their garbage bins hidden and only take out their waste in bags in front of their houses during specific collection times twice a week.

The Jewish Quarter with the cemetery was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site along with the Basilica of St. Procopius on July 3, 2003. Its preservation was aided by a loan from the American Congress, said Heřman. Originally, they only lent for the revitalization of panel housing estates, which had only been a few years old in Třebíč after 1989. "Czech banks back then were lending for privatization but not for repairing sewage systems. We needed 40 million. We convinced Congress that the Jewish town takes priority for us," said Heřman. The reconstruction of the water supply, sewage, and electricity was completed within two years, according to Heřman, also thanks to the less stringent legislation of the time and the more accommodating attitude of property owners.