The mayor of Opava signed a purchase agreement for the dilapidated building of the Breda department store

Opava – The mayor of Opava, Tomáš Navrátil (ANO), today signed a purchase agreement for the dilapidated and unused building of the former department store Breda. The cultural monument, which belongs to the bankrupt firm of entrepreneur Kamil Kolka, will be acquired by the city for 39.5 million crowns. A specially assembled team is now working on its utilization. In the future, the building is expected to serve both commercially and for non-profit activities, such as a museum or gallery. This was stated by the city's spokesman, Roman Konečný.

There are discussions about placing an exhibition of African culture or a gallery featuring works by sculptor Kurt Gebauer. Part of the building is to be used commercially as offices or retail spaces. The total costs for the reconstruction are estimated to be around 300 million crowns. "Currently, rescue work is being prepared to prevent further decay of the building. This primarily concerns the windows and roof," Konečný stated. He added that the design team is still working on the future use of the building.

The city administration plans to invest hundreds of millions of crowns into the building with an area of 10,000 m². In addition to the purchase price, this includes the costs of reconstruction. The annual operating costs of the building are estimated to be about 17.7 million crowns. Conversely, the city should receive 15.8 million crowns from rental income and from fees for provided services. The difference would then come from a city subsidy for the building's operation.

The project envisages that two of the six floors will feature a year-round market and additional spaces for commercial use. Another floor would be used by the city as a community center. The spaces, including a dance hall, should serve associations, for example. Two other floors would then house galleries—one made up of African collections from Jiří Blata and another in collaboration with the Institute of Visual Photography. Sculptor Kurt Gebauer has also offered his works for the possible gallery.

At the time of its opening in 1928, Breda was the largest department store in the republic. The building, constructed in 1927 through the reconstruction of the original department store, is now deteriorating. The firm owned by Kamil Kolka has been in liquidation for several years.