The state did not succeed in selling the Hanácká barracks in Olomouc even in the fourth auction

Olomouc – The state was unable to sell the vast complex of the Hanácké barracks in Olomouc even in the fourth electronic auction. The auction began on Tuesday and ended today at 10:00, but the only registered interested party did not make a bid. Michaela Tesařová, spokesperson for the Office for the Representation of the State in Property Matters (ÚZSVM), said this today. The state will not announce another round of electronic auction for now, as it is negotiating with the regional government about the possible temporary use of the Hanácké barracks for the establishment of a regional assistance center to help Ukraine.

The Hanácké barracks failed to be sold in the September, November, and this year's January electronic auctions. In the last round of the auction, the minimum price of the complex was reduced from 262 million to 249 million crowns. The auction could be started on Tuesday because at least one interested party deposited a 25 million crown deposit within the specified period. "It was an individual who had also deposited a bid in previous rounds of the auction. Since the interested party did not make any bids, the auction ended without a winner. However, even if a bid had been made, the ÚZSVM would not have concluded a purchase contract with the auction winner due to the current exceptional situation," Tesařová stated.

Since the beginning of the Russian attack on Ukraine, the Hanácké barracks have been on the list of selected locations for the planned regional assistance center to help Ukraine, which should cover all basic services for incoming refugees. "Due to ongoing negotiations about the use of the Hanácké barracks for the purposes of the Regional Assistance Center to Help Ukraine, the ÚZSVM will not be preparing to announce another round of electronic auction for the sale of this complex at this time. On the contrary, it will allow the operation of the assistance center for as long as necessary," Tesařová said.

In the third round of the electronic auction in January, only one interested party registered, but did not make a bid. The same fate befell the previous two rounds of the selection procedure. The property office also negotiated with Palacký University in Olomouc, which had previously expressed preliminary interest in directly purchasing the complex.

The Hanácké barracks were used by the army for 170 years and have been empty since 2013. The building has an office area of over 2,000 m². Initially, it was considered that hundreds of state office workers currently located in multiple places in Olomouc would move there. However, according to the Ministry of Defense, the further use for state officials would be more costly than selling and potentially building a new administrative headquarters.

In 2014, the Olomouc region expressed interest in the Hanácké barracks, wanting to use it for storage for a museum and library, offices for organizations securing European grants, and a store for regional food. The regional government ultimately abandoned the plan.