The ice rink in the park on Moravské náměstí is experiencing a successful period, with a record 14,000 skaters using the rink in December alone. The ice rink will be open until the end of February. Children from orphanages, primary schools and kindergartens can use the facility for free.
The Moravské náměstí ice rink premiered last season. In three months of operation, it was visited by 24,000 skaters, breaking the visitor record previously held by the former ice rink at the Jošt statue. According to the figures so far, this year is on track to exceed the previous year’s record.
“We are pleased with the interest of visitors in the ice rink in the beautiful surroundings of the park,” said Vojtěch Mencl (ODS), the mayor of the Brno-střed district. “In December alone, over 14,000 people skated, which is 2,000 more than the previous year. We plan to operate the ice rink as we did last year until the end of February. But it will depend mainly on the weather.”
The 800-square-metre outdoor rink welcomed the first skaters in the last week of November. In addition to regular visitors, the rink is used every year by elementary and kindergarten students from the district, who skate for free as part of their lessons. The city hall is now extending free entry to children from Brno children’s homes.
“Children’s homes had the opportunity to use the rink for free in the run-up to Christmas,” said Mencl. “In the new year, we are continuing our cooperation, thanks to which children can skate for free in January and February in any time block. I believe that this will become a nice tradition in the future, similar to what happens with elementary or kindergarten schools.”
The entrance fee for a two-hour block of skating is 140 crowns for adults. Children under 15 and seniors will pay half that price. Skaters under 6 years of age have free entry. On-site facilities include changing rooms, lockers, a refreshment stand and a skate rental shop, where visitors can also borrow sports equipment for beginner skaters. Before the start of the current skating season, the visitor and technical facilities were upgraded; the changing rooms are now roofed and the main entrance has also been modified. In total, the city hall is paying over CZK 3 million to operate the rink, which is operated by the Kraví Hora Sports and Recreational Complex.
