The Opava City Hall will buy the puppet theater building for six million

Opava - The Opava magistrate will buy the building of the puppet theater on Husova Street for more than six million crowns, where several amateur theater groups operate. The building is in poor technical condition, so the city will have it repaired. During that time, performances will take place in alternative spaces. There are several options, but which one the city will ultimately choose is still unclear. Martin Kůs from the press department of the magistrate stated this today for ČTK.

The building that houses the Center for Leisure Activities, which also includes puppeteers, belongs to the Czechoslovak Hussite Church. Here, both children’s and adult theater groups have their base. The theater hall provides space for performances from local and guest groups, and festivals and other cultural events are also held here. The city has long been trying to purchase the building. In the end, however, it only agreed with the Central Council of the Czechoslovak Hussite Church to buy the parts associated with the theater. The remaining part of the building must be vacated by the center. That part is also in a state of emergency and awaits repairs.

"While the building on Husova Street, where classrooms of the Center for Leisure Activities are rented and where an old and dangerous scaffolding stood until recently, will not be for sale, the part that serves as a puppet theater will ultimately be sold. The Central Council of the Czechoslovak Hussite Church sent a letter to the Opava magistrate announcing that it is willing to sell this part of the building to the city for 6.1 million crowns," Kůs stated.

Deputy Mayor Pavel Meletzký (ANO) mentioned that the requested sum is indeed higher than indicated by expert opinions, but it is significantly lower than the original demands of the church. "We accept six million one hundred thousand crowns and are preparing the respective purchase contracts, which we will send to the central council of the selling church as soon as possible," Meletzký said.

Like the neighboring building, the puppet theater building has also suffered considerable damage over the years of its operation. Therefore, the city will need to temporarily move the theater's activities to other spaces and embark on the necessary repairs. However, this will only happen after the puppet theater becomes its property. The town hall will also first try to secure some suitable grant.

In a similar manner, other activities of the center, including the popular mini-zoo, will also be forced to relocate in the near future as their leases expire. "The city must also find other suitable spaces for them," Kůs stated. He added that part of the classrooms and animal husbandry clubs will be able to move to the center's building on Jaselská Street. However, a space for the mini-zoo is still being sought.

Disputes over the ownership of the building have been ongoing for several years. It belonged to the state, and the city rented it. The Czechoslovak Hussite Church requested restitution of the property. Initially, in 2014, the state rejected the church's restitution claim. The main reason was documents indicating that the church sold the building to the then-national council in 1949. However, church representatives stated that the property had not been effectively transferred because the agreed price of around 700,000 crowns was not paid by the council. The court then ruled for the return of the property to the church.