Ancient castle to be sold on auction in Hrodna

The authorities in the western Belarusian city of Hrodna are putting the ancient Sviacki Castle, the 18th-centuary architectural monument, on sale after having failed to maintain it decently for decades. With no money for restoration activities in the local budget, the authorities decided to call out for investors.

“It does not matter whether it will be a foreign or a Belarusian investor. It is important to obtain funding for restoration, while the palace and the nearby park would serve as tourism attractions,” says Valery Klimovic, the deputy chairman of the Hrodna district executive committee.

Klimovic was not able to name an approximate cost of the castle complex. Those willing to bid for this historical monument should approach directly the district authorities, which will privately release information about the price and transaction terms.

Local historian Andrej Vaskievic has serious doubts over the legitimacy of the government’s initiative.

“Firstly, since the castle is an architectural monument of the late 18th century, it cannot be sold, according to the Belarusian laws. The castle can only be let out for a shorter or longer period of time,” Vaskievic said.

The historian is also concerned over the lack of information about the course of negotiations with potential buyers and about the future function of the restored palace.

“It would be the best to make the palace available for public use. It could serve as a hotel or a holiday center for tourists coming to visit this historical site,” Vaskievic suggested.

One can only hope that new promises by the authorities to attract investors to the city and make it a second Cracow will not repeat the developments three years back.

In 2004, the local administration also promised to restore the downtown square in accordance with the medieval traditions. As a result, we received a ruined basement of the Radzivils’ Palace and a flat boring “field” paved with tiles.

Photo by spb.iatp.by