As the film festival in Karlovy Vary wrapped up, the Czech prime minister Andrej Babiš revealed that the the Ministry of Finance is considering renting out the pool at the Thermal hotel. The city’s most famous piece of real estate is owned by the state, which is currently planning major renovations. But while the ministry recently poured CZK 300m of new equity into the hotel, this is expected to go towards the reconstruction of hotel rooms over the next three years. The pool, meanwhile, could be leased to a different company that would be responsible for its repairs and operations. City leaders in Karlovy Vary are pushing for a solution to the pool problem but they are powerless to influence what happens since it belongs to the state.
