Pardubice Region

This region is famous, among other things, for its horse-breeding, gingerbread and a beautiful Renaissance chateau listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The Pardubice Region, which straddles between Bohemia and Moravia, offers many natural points of interest, monuments and landmarks of historical significance.

The region, which is also called the rooftop of Europe, because of its location at the continental divide for three major seas, is also home to one of the oldest studs in the world. The stud is located in Kladruby nad Labem and its history goes back to the first half of the sixteenth century. The stud farm is a recognised National Historic Monument and is famous around the world for breeding its white Old Kladruby Horses. Pardubice, the largest city in the region, also has a connection to horses. For more than a century the city has been hosting the largest and most difficult horserace on the continent, the Velká Pardubická steeplechase.

Gingerbread is produced for more than three centuries

Pardubice is also known for the production of its world-famous gingerbread. The same recipe has been used, with only minor changes, for more than three centuries, but the history of this local speciality goes back to the sixteenth century. In 2008 Pardubický perník (Pardubice gingerbread) was registered as an EU protected geographical indication.

There are many sites throughout the region – castles, chateaux, ruins and ecclesiastical architecture. Probably the best know landmark is the Renaissance chateau in Litomyšl, which is included on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Every year the chateau hosts Smetana’s Litomyšl, a European opera festival.

Medieval castles at strategic locations

Medieval castles were built from as early as the thirteenth century at strategic locations throughout the region; they include Lichnice, Oheb or Rychmburk. Ruins of smaller medieval feudal residences, which are strewn across the foothills of Železné hory or Orlické hory, are also interesting places to visit. The most important historical landmarks in the northern reaches of the Pardubice Region are connected with the old Moravian House of Pernštejn. The Pernštejn estate included two monumental castles – Litice nad Orlicí and Kunětická Hora.

Nature lovers will also find the region interesting, as they can choose from several attractive locations, be it the mountain ranges of the Železné hory, the Žďárské vrchy and the Orlické hory, the Labe basin or the Kralický Sněžník massif, which includes the third highest peak in the Czech Republic - 1423 m above sea level.

At www.east-bohemia.info, inhabitants and visitors to the region may find a generous source of information and inspiration for their travels in East Bohemia in no less than nine languages. The information focuses primarily on recreation and leisure time, naturally including information on local landmarks, natural treasures and cultural events. Twice already, the portal has been awarded a special prize from the Minister for Regional Development for the best tourist-oriented web presentation in the category of cities, municipalities and tourist regions.

The project brings internet access to four retirement homes, five social welfare institutions, one rehabilitation institution, six children’s homes and ten children’s and youth centres, i.e. in total 26 organisations across the entire Region. After the initial implementation of the project, some of these institutions took part in a survey which showed that the impact of the project exceeded its technical framework and that the clients appreciated the enrichment the project brought to their daily lives. The clients learning about the possibilities of the Internet - the children more quickly, the seniors at a slower pace, but with great interest. They meet new friends over the internet and communicate with family and friends. Coping with new technologies reinforces their self-confidence and this new topic also benefits group relationships. The project thus builds upon technological tools to help integrate more population groups into the information society.

In Pardubice, establishment of a state-of-the-art research institute is planned. It is intended to provide an environment for material research, especially into optics, optoelectronics, nanomaterials and nanotechnologies, with a number of overlaps into other fields such as competitive engineering, information society, energy sources and security research. Specific examples of project outcomes include multi-level and high-capacity memories, data recording, palmtop computers, fully optical computers, night-vision devices, detectors, new materials for batteries, photo-active and self-cleaning glass surfaces, increased material strength, safe elimination of military and harmful substances, decomposition of water or hydrogen storage. The project, which is being prepared by the University of Pardubice along with other partners, is expected to cost more than two billion Czech Crowns.

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