The new owner of a 12th century castle in the village of Ralsko in
northern Bohemia has been revealed as Czech businessman Milan Baier. 800
square metres around the site were recently put up for sale by the army
and
forest service, which hitherto administered the land. A controversial
tender process ensued with an anonymous bidder emerging victorious,
despite
the efforts of Ralsko locals to acquire the site. In total five bidders
vied for the site, with a minimum asking price of 120,000 crowns; Ralsko
authorities were reportedly willing to offer 150,000 but were told that
the
winning bidder had offered substantially more. Milan Baier, a local from
nearby Mimoň, was ultimately revealed as the new owner and has promised
to
keep the site accessible to the public and to consult with local citizens
as repairs are carried out. But locals remain unhappy and are seeking to
overturn the sale and have reportedly even appealed to Defence Minister
Alexandr Vondra for help, arguing that such a historical site should
remain
in public hands.