85 years ago, the stadium at Štvanice was opened, today it is already a thing of the past

Prague - The winter stadium in Prague's Štvanice has experienced many famous moments, officially opened 85 years ago on November 6, 1932. The first artificial ice surface in Czechoslovakia was primarily associated with hockey; the inaugural match was played at the still-under-construction stadium in January 1931. Štvanice hosted the World Championship four times, in 1933, 1938, 1947, and 1959, and during the penultimate one, its stands witnessed the first title for the Czechoslovak national team.

However, in recent decades, the stadium, where several generations of figure skaters, including the famous Ája Vrzáňová, grew up, slowly deteriorated. The last major renovation of Štvanice took place in 1968, and the final "nail in the coffin" for the famous stadium came with the devastating floods in 2002, from which the wooden building never recovered. In January 2011, the beloved recreational spot for Prague residents was closed, and in May, demolition of this heritage-protected stadium began, which sparked disagreement from a large part of the public.