One of the largest sports complexes in Minsk and Belarus as a whole is the Minsk Ice Palace on 27 Pritytsky. During its existence, it has become a real cultural center of the Belarusian capital.
History
The ice palace on Pritytsky was opened in February 1999. Its official name is the Minsk Sports Palace of Sports and Culture Unitary Enterprise. Initially, the construction of the sports complex was funded by the Tivali hockey club, but after the reduction of funds, the facility was completed by the state with a view to sports and cultural development of the young residents of Minsk.
Its arena has long been the official home arena of Keramina, a local hockey club. In 2004, the matches of the junior world championship among divisions were held here. In 2012-2013, matches of the Yunost-Minsk team in the Higher Hockey League were held in the Ice Palace on Pritytsky. After some time, the club moved to the arena of another Minsk sports complex - Chizhovka.
The main objective of the sports complex is to conduct ice hockey competitions, short track, figure skating and other ice sports. However, at present there are also held competitions in gymnastics, weightlifting, boxing, martial arts and other sports. The stands of the Ice Palace can simultaneously accommodate up to two thousand spectators.
The hockey box can transform into a stage, so concerts can be held at the Ice Palace (for example, in October 2007, the Scottish rock band Nazareth performed here ) and other events.
Classes in sections
In addition to competitions, classes are organized in sections at the Ice Palace on Pritytsky:
- rhythmic gymnastics;
- oriental dances;
- Latin American dances;
- table tennis;
- aerobics;
- aikido;
- figure skating;
- karate;
- callanetics;
- Pilates;
- taekwondo;
- shaping;
- hockey.
The complex also has a solarium, a fitness bar with sports nutrition and a gym in which you can work out both independently and with an instructor. The hall is open from Monday to Thursday from 10:00 to 21:00, and also on Friday from 10:00 to 19:00. A single visit lasting 1.5 hours costs 6 rubles, and subscriptions for 8 and 12 visits per month - 46 and 68 rubles.
Weekly Fridays and Saturdays from 8 p.m. to 12 a.m. in the Ice Palace, "Rest Evenings" with music and a bar are held. There is a possibility of rent for corporate events.
Rink
If no competitions, performances and other sporting events are held in the Minsk Ice Palace on Pritytsky, the ice is free and is used as a public ice rink for residents of the city. The thickness of the ice is 5 cm, and the area of the ice rink is almost 2000 square meters.
There is no clear schedule for the ice rink in the Ice Palace at Pritytsky. Usually mass skating sessions are held in the afternoon, at 18-19 hours, the exact time is constantly changing. However, there are days when the site is closed due to technical work or for other reasons. The schedule of the Ice Palace at Pritytsky is recommended to be specified on the official website of the complex. You can buy tickets only directly at the box office; there is no possibility to pre-order them on the Internet.
One skating session (time, like on most ice rinks, 45 minutes) costs 4 rubles for adults and 2.5 rubles for children. Skate rental 3,5 rubles, a passport or other photo ID is required as a deposit. 15 minutes of training with a trainer will cost five rubles.
There is also the opportunity to purchase a subscription, which includes ten visits to the rink. The price for adults is 33.50 rubles, for children - 24 rubles.
In addition to rental, the skating rink provides repair and sharpening services for hockey and figure skates, as well as replacing a leather palm on hockey gloves.
The rink of the Minsk Ice Palace is one of the most popular in the city, so there are always a lot of people here during mass skating. Visitors note the high quality of ice (it is poured in layers, which ensures its strength and reliability), a large selection of skates of different types and sizes, and pleasant music playing while skating. Also, discos and performances on ice are periodically held.
How to get there
Getting to the Ice Palace is very convenient - the metro stations Pushkinskaya and Sportivnaya (within 1 km) are located nearby, and Molodezhnaya and Grushevka (2-3 km) are a little further.
From the nearest stations, the path to the sports complex takes about 10-15 minutes walk.