Sport and Leisure
Ice-Hockey
Pardubice is home to one of the top hockey teams in the Czech Extraleague, HC Pardubice. The local hockey club has bred internationally known stars such as Dominik „The Dominator“ Hasek, Ales Hemsky, Jan Bulis (all natives of Pardubice) and Milan Hejduk. Because Pardubice is famous for its ginger bread, there is a habit to take a ginger bread bar along to the game and throw it on the ice if the team losses (some try to hit the players that played worst) or eat it if the team wins. In the ice hockey stadium many concerts take place in the season break. You can visit the games according to the schedule, the price for one ticket may differ for each seat, but it should be around 100 – 250 CZK (4 – 10 €).
Swimming pool
As a matter of fact, there are three swiming pools in the complex of Pardubice’s Swimming Hall in Jiraskova Street, a 50-meter long pool with a roller coaster slide, a diving pool and a teaching pool for kids, open daily 9:30 AM – 7:30 PM. There are also two outdoor pools nearby, open in summer, with prices about 60 CZK (2.5 €), could be lower if you wish to stay less than 2 hours. The open air pool Cihelna in Ke koupalisti Street provides two roller slides, diving pool, massage baths, artificial waterfall, fontains,etc. There is also a minigolf course, beach volleyball pitch, ping pong tables. Open in the outdoor swimming season daily 10 AM – 10 PM, entrance fee 40 CZK (1.6 €), discount for kids under 140cm of height.
Bowling, squash, snooker,…
These pub-sports, as mentioned above, are usually affiliated with a pub or a sports center. Darts can be played in many pubs, snooker/billiard as well. In some clubs there can be played foosball (=table football), which is very popular among the young people today. Bowling halls are not as many, however popular. For instance, there is one in IXI Club in Kuneticka Street, where you can also play squash, ping pong, etc. Tennis can be enjoyed in Tennis Club courts in Labska Street. In the earlier mentioned OK Centrum you can try bowling, ricochet, fitness, or even aerobic. In the Luka – bowling restaurant in the building of Hypernova Shopping center, you can play bowling in large groups, because it has 18 boling lines and space for 150 customers. Bowling usually costs about 200 – 400 CZK (8 – 16 €) an hour.
