In Litomyšl, a petition was created against the possible sale of the Klára villa to the Kubík company

Litomyšl – A petition against the possible sale of Villa Klára to the Kubík company has been created in Litomyšl. The company wants to build a conference hotel with wellness facilities and a brewery on its neighboring premises, and use the villa for spa operations and accommodation. Another interested party also vied for the building, but ultimately, last Thursday, none of their offers received sufficient support from the representatives.

The signatories of the Petition for the Preservation of the Genius Loci of the Castle Hill in Litomyšl consider the Kubík company's plan to be disproportionately ambitious and risky. They are also concerned that it would be located near the Renaissance castle. "The project is to be implemented near the castle listed on the UNESCO World Heritage list and, above all, in close proximity to the Red Tower, which is undeniably also a historical gem. The realization of this intention would fundamentally affect the lives of all residents of Litomyšl. Do we really want to primarily be a tourist center? Are we aware of what negatives this could bring?" said the petition author Eva Machová. According to her, the future does not belong to conference tourism and individual automobile transport, but to a sustainable lifestyle. "The petition came before the decision about the sale of Villa Klára; we took it into consideration," said Deputy Mayor Radomil Kašpar to ČTK.

The second interested party, the Kučera couple, wanted to turn the villa into a community center with a café and workshop for seniors. They also considered collaborating with the Faculty of Restoration of the University of Pardubice, which is based in the city and needs to accommodate foreign students, or possibly further leasing. They were willing to pay six million crowns for the building.

Litomyšl acquired the building in 2020 for five million crowns from the Pardubice Region. Until 2018, it housed a long-term care hospital, but the property was in poor condition, and the region relocated the hospital to the premises of the hospital.

The villa, built in 1895, is in the neo-Renaissance style, commissioned by brewer Karel Sedlák from Litomyšl. From 1929, it was the Home of Saint Klára under the administration of the Order of Saint Charles Borromeo, which Sedlák donated to the association. Since 1949, it has been state property. A department for long-term patients was located there from 1974.