The free ice skating rink at the Palace of Culture and Science opens its doors on Thursday, December 1st. Warsaw will open 12 city-funded skating rinks. The most popular and crowded are the ones at Stegny, the Old Town Square and PKiN.
There are already two ice rinks on Targówek. The next ones will be opened in December, with specific dates to be posted on their individual websites.
Ice-skating is the most urban form of winter activity. It needs a piece of even ice, skates and a little bit of sporting spirit. The city provides ice and equipment, and I have no doubts regarding the spirit. Hundreds of thousands of active Varsovians use our ice rinks every year – says Renata Kaznowska, Vice President of Warsaw.
Stegny - a home of champions
"Stegny" is a real-deal skating track. with dimensions of 400x11m. In the years 1953-1977 it acted as a natural- and, since 1980, a professional- artificially frozen track.
It hosted the World Championships and Polish Championships in high-speed skating at various distances. Today, individual and team "Skating Thursdays" competitions are played (open in a new tab).
In the previous season Stegny broke the absolute record of entrances – 107 thousand people used the track throughout the winter. The subsequent rinks in terms of attendance are the Old Town Square (38 thousand entrances), the Palace of Culture and Science (32 thousand) and Moczydło (27 thousand).
Stegny is also the largest object – 1000 people can use the outer track at one time, plus 200 on the inner ice rink. This is much more than the capacity at the Palace of Culture – 200 people, Moczydło – 150 people or the Old Town – 80 people.
Mermaid ice rink
The most fabulous urban skating rink is located on the Old Town Square. It takes the form of a circle with a diameter of 28 m, with a circle with a radius of 4.5m cut inside - home to the Warsaw Mermaid statue. Christmas lighting will be hung over the rink, as part of the holliday illumination of the capital.
The local restaurants will provide hot drinks and meals. During the operation of the ice rink, they will host food kiosks offering hot drinks and grilled dishes, bigos, pierogi, etc.
The freezing system of the ice rink has been adapted for reusable, quick assembly and disassembly. From spring to autumn, it is stored in the municipal warehouse. The platforms for the ice rink were made of a steel structure weighing approx. 12 tons. The system consists of a cooling unit and a pipe system under the ice rink, fitted with transmission pipelines. The installation is made of aluminum and weighs approx. 2 tons.
12 rinks open to the public
Urban skating rinks are already being opened. Admission to the ice rinks in Ursus, at Wesoła and Śródmieście is free of charge. In other districts, the prices of a normal ticket range from PLN 9 to PLN 20, and a discount ticket from PLN 6 to PLN 13.
You don't need your own equipment – skate rentals will be available at every ice rink. Sample price list from Moczydło: skates rental – PLN 8 first hour, next hour PLN 6, walker - PLN 12 per hour, helmet - PLN 7 per hour.
Opening hours, technical breaks, detailed price lists of equipment rentals can be found on the Aktywna Warszawa website and on the websites of individual ice rinks:
Old Town Market Square ice rink - Stołeczne Centrum Sportu AKTYWNA WARSZAWA
Ice rink in front of the Palace of Culture and Science - Stołeczne Centrum Sportu AKTYWNA WARSZAWA
Covered ice rink at Górczewska 69/73 - Stołeczne Centrum Sportu AKTYWNA WARSZAWA
Stegny skating track, Inspektowa 1 - Stołeczne Centrum Sportu AKTYWNA WARSZAWA
Covered ice rink at Rokosowska 10 - Ośrodek Sportu i Rekreacji m.st. Warszawy in Ochota District
Covered ice rink at Łabiszyńska 20A – Ośrodek Sportu i Rekreacji m.st. Warszawy in the Targówek District
Ice rink in Bródnowski Park - Ośrodek Sportu i Rekreacji m.st Warszawy in the Targówek District
Covered ice rink at Gubinowska 28/30 - Centrum Sportu Wilanów
Covered ice rink at V Poprzeczna 22 - Ośrodek Sportu i Rekreacji m.st. Warszawy in the Wawer District
Covered ice rink at Potocka 1 - Ośrodek Sportu i Rekreacji m.st. Warszawy in the Żoliborz District
Covered ice rink at Armii Krajowej 72 - Urząd Dzielnicy Wesoła
Ice rink at Keniga 20 - Urząd Dzielnicy Ursus
You can check the locations on the map of the capital's ice rinks.
