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Czech Republic Guide

East Bohemia

Pardubice

There's always been a certain amount of rivalry between the two big cities of the Polabí, Hradec Králové and PARDUBICE, just under 20km to the south. On balance, Pardubice's historical core is probably more immediately appealing than Hradec Králové's, and it has a lovely chateau, but its new town lacks the cohesion of its neighbour, which makes the whole place feel a lot smaller. Throughout the horse-racing world, Pardubice is best known for its steeplechase course (second only to Liverpool's Aintree for difficulty), where the Velká Pardubická (first run in 1874) takes place in early October – usually accompanied by protests by Czech animal rights activists.