NLB Komercijalna banka Beograd announced the sale again of the "Beskuća" palace in the Old Town of Kotor, which is a registered cultural monument built in 1776.
The new ad does not specify the starting or minimum price, and at the previous sales in 2016 and 2018, the price was three million euros.
In a three-story palace 50 meters from the main entrance to the Old Town, there is 1.693 square meters of office space.
The area of the land under the building is 443 square meters with a yard of 113 square meters.
Bids are submitted by October 5 with, as stated, a mandatory deposit for the seriousness of the bid of 50.000 euros.
Lazarevic bet 20 million
Businessman Vojin Lazarević became the owner of the palace in the mid-90s under unclear circumstances, and it was previously owned by the Municipality of Kotor.
In 2012, he pledged the palace as a mortgage for a loan of 20 million euros with Hypo Alpe Adria Bank International Klagenfurt.
However, the mortgage was later transferred to Komercijalna banka Banjaluka, which put it up for sale for the first time in 2016 for 2,95 million euros.
In the mortgage, it was written that this bank is demanding from Lazarevic about 1,6 million euros of unreturned loan with associated interest.
According to the Law on the Protection of Cultural Property, the state has the right of first refusal to purchase cultural property that is in private ownership.
In 2016, Komercijalna banka's lawyers informed the Ministry of Culture about the out-of-court sale of the "Beskuća" palace.
The Administration for the Protection of Cultural Property then proposed to the Government to buy this cultural monument, that is, "so that it would be expedient to use the right of pre-emption", or to transfer this right, if the state does not intend to use it, to the Municipality of Kotor.
However, the Ministry of Culture, headed by Janko Ljumović, recommended to the Government that the state waive the right of pre-emption, with the explanation that the Ministry "did not recognize the need to be the owner of the building on the territory of the municipality of Kotor, since it has no intended purpose for its use". And the Municipality of Kotor announced at the time that it was not interested in purchasing this cultural property "because of the high initial purchase price".
Concrete slabs and stairs
Komercijalna banka Beograd tried to sell the palace for three million in 2018 as well, but without success. According to the bulletin about the sale at the time, the palace underwent a significant reconstruction, without specifying when it happened or that it is a cultural monument.
"In the previous period, the buildings were adapted, and on that occasion the mezzanine structure was replaced with a modern reinforced concrete slab between all floors. A reinforced concrete staircase was constructed, which is used for vertical communication within the building. During the adaptation, the entire roof structure was replaced", it is written in the description of the property at the time, stating that the ground floor is rented out and that the floors and attic are in the gray stage of construction and can easily be adapted to the buyer.
The palace was built by Jozo Beskuća, who wanted to become Stokuća
The attractive stone palace from the 18th century, located in the street that connects the main Square of Arms with the Market of Flour, was built in 1776 by Count Jozo Beskuća, the head of a once poor family that became rich in maritime trade in the middle of the 18th century and rose to nobility.
According to the legend, Count Jozo vowed to build 100 houses and the family name, which frustrated him, changed it to Stokuć. Unfortunately, he managed to build "only" 99 houses in Boca and Italy during his lifetime, so in the end, he remained officially Homeless. The family died out at the end of the 19th century, when their palace in the Old Town was taken over by the Municipality of Kotor.
Later, the palace came into the hands of Lazarevic, a former high functionary of the People's Party, a republican and federal deputy, a minister in the government of Filip Vujanović in 1998, and a businessman especially known for reselling electricity.
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