Plzeň opened the possibility of a future sale of the Peklo cultural house

Pilsen - Pilsen city councilors today opened the possibility for the future sale of the dilapidated cultural house Peklo. The city does not have the funds for the costly renovation of the listed former army cultural house, especially during the time of tight budgets after the coronavirus pandemic. Therefore, they will try to sell the building for a fraction of the estimated price and set firm conditions for the new owner, including the preservation of the large hall for cultural and social events. The building, which is in a state of emergency due to massive damage to the rafters from wood-destroying pests, has been closed since 2018, with powerful reinforcements supporting the ceiling.

The councilors agreed today that the working group dedicated to Peklo will develop precise conditions for the sale of the property by autumn. In addition to the preservation of the large hall for cultural and social events, another condition from the city will be the right of first refusal, bank guarantees, or a prohibition on alienation or encumbrance of the property without prior written consent from Pilsen. The councilors could approve the final sale conditions in October, and then the city will announce a competition, said David Šlouf (ODS), council member for economics and property, today.

The starting price will be ten percent of the expert estimate, which is 65.6 million crowns. "Pilsen does not aspire to generate financial resources from the sale, but the city's ambition is to find a strong investor, a developer who will at least maintain culture and social events in the large hall and will be able to reconstruct the building, which will be precisely outlined in the sale conditions. The gain for the city of Pilsen will be finding a strong partner and also that the city will not have to invest in repairs with money it currently does not have," Šlouf stated.

The property is entirely listed as a heritage site, but the main interest of heritage protectors applies to the part with the large hall accommodating up to 760 people, which is the largest cultural hall in Pilsen along with the hall of the Měšťanská beseda. According to Šlouf, heritage protectors would likely agree to a deal allowing the side edges of Peklo to be demolished while preserving the part with the hall, and new buildings would be constructed in their place, as agreed upon with them. The estimate for the total reconstruction of Peklo, including any possible extensions, is up to three-quarters of a billion crowns, Šlouf noted.

Pilsen has also tried to find other solutions for Peklo. It had previously offered it to the Plzeň Region, but they were not interested in a property that requires expensive reconstruction. No European grant titles were found either, from which the city could finance the repairs.