The Ministry of Culture is working on a bill, thanks to which investors will be able to acquire the dilapidated historical buildings of the Republic of Belarus for virtually nothing. In accordance with the innovation, buildings that have not been in operation for more than two years and were not sold at an auction are going to be given to investors for one fixed amount, in the amount of one hundred thousand Belarusian rubles. This information was shared by the head of the department for the protection of cultural and historical monuments of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Belarus Igor Chernyavsky.
The list of unexploited buildings was written three years ago. Since then, 46 castles and estates have been offered for sale. During the three-year period, only eight were acquired. In general, there are more than 150 estates and castles in this country that could be preserved if they were sold. Most of the buildings are located in the Grodno, Brest and Vitebsk regions, according to the newspaper "Komsomolskaya Pravda".
The top ten castles that were put up for sale include the Radziwills' estate, the Narovle palace and park complex, the Bogdanovich family's estate, and the Old Belitsa estate.
There is only one prerequisite for future owners - at least five years to use the acquired building in the tourism industry, sums up Belta. The problem is that most of the buildings as a whole cannot be restored. Because of this, many executive committees believe that even for such a minimal amount, hardly anyone would want to buy the ruins.
However, it should be noted that not all estates are in such an unattractive state. Most of these buildings are historical and cultural attractions, which will certainly become an important factor in attracting tourists. In addition, many castles have amazing stories of ghosts living in them. This fact provides additional opportunities for the development of tourism.