Earlier this year, the government was planning to sell Stírka swimming pool in Prague 8 in an auction. However, there was a risk that a new owner might shut down the facility, which has served its purpose for nearly seventy years, and convert the area. Upon a request from the Prague City Hall, the Office for Government Representation in Property Affairs will now include the land with the swimming pool in a program of property swaps between the state and the city of Prague.

“It would be regrettable if the traditional swimming pool stopped serving the public. Prague owns many unutilized plots of land that it could trade with the state and I believe that we wil be able to reach ana agreement,” says City Councilor Jan Chabr who is responsible for municipal asset management. Tomáš Slabihoudek, a member of Prague 8 district council who is in charge of local asset management, welcomed the latest developments: “An asset exchange is an ideal solution to preserve Stírka swimming pool for public use. I am grateful to Councilor Chabr for including the pool in the property swap program.”

The Office for Government Representation in Property Affairs has already received a request to suspend preparations of the planned auction. The Office intended to offer the facility for a starting auction price of CZK 31.4 million. As the next step, the facility is to be included in a list of property to be traded with the capital city for other properties.

The swimming pool is extremely popular among Prague citizens, especially in the summer months. It can accommodate up to a thousand people.