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Pardubice and Kladruby nad Labem Joyfull Cities and Living History

www.topardubicko.cz Accessibility: 123 km from Prague

by train from Prague 1 h 20 min by bus from Prague — by car from Prague 1 h 20 min

Target group: Pleasure seekers: families with children

Pardubice has been dedicated to horses and horse racing for over 150 years. Almost everything here

revolves around horses, and visitors to this historical city with remarkable architecture can experience it for themselves. The horse-breeding tradition is even older, as demonstrated by one of the world’s oldest stud farms in Kladruby nad Labem, which is ultimately why the local Chateau was built.

Pardubice Home of the Grand Pardubice Steeplechase Pardubice is the capital city of horses. This is thanks to a long and colourful horse racing tradition, the most prestigious racecourse in the country and, above all, the toughest race in Central Europe, the famous Great Pardubice Steeplechase, a seven-kilometre race with thirty hurdles. The most feared of all is the Taxis Ditch. Pardubice is a member of the European Network of Horse Cities Euro Equus and has been named European City of Horses for 2020 . The Pardubice Racecourse was built as early as 1856, with the first Great Pardubice taking place eighteen years later. This year it will be run for the 130th time! Both children and adults will certainly enjoy the opportunity to take a ride around the course in a carriage or to walk around it with a guide. You can also hire horses or take riding lessons on these magnificent animals. Horses can also be found on the city streets. A mounted police division has been operating for nearly 20 years. It is therefore no surprise to see a horse go past you at the entrance to the urban conservation reserve, the famous Renaissance Zelená (Green) Gate. It includes a tower, which you can climb and enjoy a view of the whole city and its surroundings, as well as an interesting exhibition on the history of the gate and tower. Town houses on the picturesque square and adjacent lanes bear traces of late Gothic construction from the early 16th century in the form of stone panelling and portals, while other construction styles have also left their mark, primarily the Renaissance and Baroque, seen, for example, in the beautiful “U Jonáše” house. The Neo-renaissance can be found in the Town Hall complex. Pardubice also has a Renaissance Chateau, seat of the Museum of East Bohemia with permanent exhibitions of weapons and postcards, and an

www.nhkladruby.cz Accessibility: 95 km from Prague

by train from Prague 1 h 35 min by bus from Prague — by car from Prague 1 h 10 min

Target group: Pleasure seekers: families with children

extensive collection of Bohemian glass. Beer lovers and others will enjoy an excursion to the Pardubice Brewery, which combines a century’s tradition with modern operation.

Kladruby nad Labem Chateau A Chateau Dedicated to Horses Without one of the ten oldest stud farms in the world, the Kladruby nad Labem Chateau would not exist. Emperor Maximilian II of Habsburg founded a stud farm here as early as 1563, and this was soon promoted to the court stud farm. Since Maximilian was a very frequent visitor to the stud farm, he had a Renaissance Chateau built there in 1588. It was later redeveloped in the Baroque and Empire styles. The Chateau is also the origin of the Baroque Old Kladruber Horse, the sole breed created for ceremonial purposes of the royal courts, meeting the highest requirements for carriage horses. At the Chateau, which is connected to the stud farm, you can visit twelve chambers, where Emperor Franz Joseph I stayed with his famous wife Elizabeth of Bavaria, known as Sisi, and take a carriage ride. You and your children will also enjoy a carriage ride simulator, where you can try driving a carriage, enjoy a presentation of the Old Kladruber White breed, and see the stables, carriage house, harness room and stud museum. Nearby Slatiňany Chateau has a different story. A stud farm was also built there, but much later than the Chateau, originally a medieval stronghold with Baroque and Classicist additions. Since 1992, it has been a part of the Kladruby National Stud, breeding Old Kladruber Black horses. The Chateau houses an interesting hippology museum and a tour route of the Auersperg family’s summer residence.

www.topardubicko.cz www.nhkladruby.cz East Bohemia region: www.vychodni-cechy.info Racecourse: zavodistepardubice.cz Pardubice Chateau: www.vcm.cz/zamek Green Gate: www.zelenabrana.eu Elbe Cycle Route: www.labska-stezka.cz