Prague opens free ice skating rink at Letná Park

From this morning, a new ice skating rink operated by the City of Prague has opened in the Czech capital's spacious Letná Park. The rink is free for visitors with their own skates, and skate rental services are also offered.

This is the fifth winter that the city has operated the Letná skating rink. This year, additional hygiene measures are in place due to the COVID-19 epidemic and associated restrictions.

While the opening of the skating rink had been pushed back this season, Prague's Hygiene Station gave the city the go-ahead for its launch this weekend.

Both the number of visitors and the amount of time each will be allowed to spend on the ice will be limited this season. The rink will be divided into four sections separated by guard rails, with six people allowed to skate in each section at a time. Each person will have a maximum of thirty minutes of skating time.

Other regulations to ensure hygiene measures are followed will also be in place, and visitors must disinfect their hands upon arrival.

"In today's period of the coronavirus pandemic, it is in the interest of all of us to take care of our physical and mental health," says Vít Šimral, councilor for the City of Prague in the field of sports, in a press release.

"Without exercise, there is a risk of obesity, not only in the younger generation. Through regular sports and staying in fresh air, our immunity is strengthened and we create the defenses that we all need during this period. Even winter time offers a number of activities to take part of."

This year's rink will also feature a heated tent, skate rental services, a room for sharpening skates and new for this season a grandstand for spectators.

The rink is open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., with short breaks for cleaning the ice; it will even be open through the holidays, though it will close early (2:00 p.m.) on December 24. The rink will be operational through March 7, 2021.

More information about the Prague ice skating rink, including a live camera feed that allows guests to check the occupancy before heading out, can be found here. Group reservations are also possible, but must be booked in advance at this website.

The Letná skating rink is one of many that will operate in Prague throughout the 2020-21 winter season.

For a full list of skating rinks throughout Prague this winter, see our previous article here. Note that rink operation may be affected by current anti-COVID-19 measures.