No state institution has shown interest in Štiřín, nothing stands in the way of the sale

Prague - There is nothing standing in the way of the sale of the state castle Štiřín in Kamenice near Prague, which has served as a conference center and includes an extensive park with a golf course. No approached state institution has shown interest in the castle. This was stated today to the members of the parliamentary control committee by the director of the Office for the Representation of the State in Property Affairs (ÚZSVM) Kateřina Arajmu. The launch of the sales process now faces no obstacles, Arajmu told ČTK.

"Colleagues can now complete the necessary documents for the preparation of the tender, which include the decision on the subject of the tender and the decision on the minimum price," she described. The decision on the subject of sale has not yet been signed. She assured the MPs that the requested price would be directed towards a significantly higher price than what the expert appraisals will determine. She estimated the completion of administrative tasks for the necessary documents would take weeks.

The premises also include, among others, ten plots registered in the cadastre as forest, which the office would have to keep state-owned in accordance with the law. However, for four of them, the cadastre office changed their purpose from forest to permanent grassland. According to the director, this corrected an error in the cadastre, as they were incorrectly listed as forest. She showed the MPs photographs, indicating that they are, for example, parts of the golf course. Four other forest plots will be taken over by Lesy ČR (Forests of the Czech Republic), and for one, the Ministry of Agriculture has agreed to its sale. According to the director, this is also part of the golf course. Thus, it will be sold at auction along with the offered premises.

She also informed the MPs that the office maintains the castle and the premises. "In no way is there any devaluation of state property, although it is unnecessary for us,” she noted. She agreed with the MPs that they would be able to visit the premises before the sale.

Vice-chairwoman of the control committee Hana Naiclerová (STAN) told the committee members that she received a letter from the former long-time director of the castle, Václav Hrubý. In it, Hrubý requests the committee to initiate an audit by the Supreme Audit Office, which should investigate the management of the former contributory organization Štiřín from 2020 to 2023. He also asks the MPs to submit a motion to the police due to suspicion that someone may have violated the duty to manage entrusted property with due care. The MPs decided that they would address the letter at the next committee meeting.