Wroclaw Racecourse Partynice
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Zwycięska St.2 |
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In 2000 the
Wroclaw racecourse has organised 19 races, such as: Arabella BGZ Prize - OAKS (for
the best 3 half-blooded mares), The Mayor of Wroclaw Prize (for the best 3
half-blooded stallions), Derby Half-Bred Prize (for the best 3 half-blooded mares
and stallions), as well as the international races Great Wroclaw (obstacle race for
full-blooded English horses) and Great Partynice (hurdle-race for full-blooded
English horses). The Wroclaw Racecourse
- Partynice was the organiser or co-organiser of horse contests in hurdle jumps and
breaking-in.
In 2000 it hosted regional contests as well as Official Polish Contest
in Breaking-in and Polish Championship in Breaking-in for Seniors.
Since
1998 it has operated a year-round recreational stable.
There are hippotherapy
(therapy using horses) sessions led at Partynice. All horse enthusiasts (bettors,
supporters and fans, riders and those who simply find pleasure in being with horses)
are invited. Wroclaw Racecourse - Partynice also organises recreational festivities
(Children's Day, the Day with the British Embassy, the Day with the Partner Club of
Slask Wroclaw Club - co-organisation) and breeding shows
History:
The tradition of horse
racing in Wroclaw goes back to the Middle Ages, but the first racecourse was built in
1833. It encompassed a part of the present zoological gardens and Centenary Hall
together with the adjacent pergolas. On May 31st, 1833 the first races took place at
this course. Since 1870 the races have been organised together with a race lottery.
The leasing contract for that course expired in 1907, and so the Silesian Horse
Breeders and Races Association bought 70 hectares of land in Partynice in 1905. On
October 1st, 1905 the construction of the racecourse commenced based on the design
by R. Jurgens from Hamburg. The construction was financed with a loan granted to
the Association by the Municipality and the horserace lottery organised by the
Association. In less than two years,
on the 75th anniversary of the Silesian Horse Breeders and Races Association, the
Partynice Racecourse officially opened.
Before the World War I there were
high-profile races Partynice and prizes for the horses. Later on, the
Wroclaw races lost significance due to increasing economic crisis. One shall admit,
however, that even in the years of the Depression (1930-1935) the provincial
racecourses, including Wroclaw's, were financed by the Ministry of Agriculture, due
to its special importance in breeding.
The buildings were not destroyed
during the World War II, but the racecourse was ruined. The postwar activity at the
racecourse commenced on April 26th, 1950, when the Minister of Agriculture and Land
Reform set up the state enterprise called the National Horse Racecourses, that
included three Polish racecourses: Sluzewiec in Warsaw, the Sopot racecourse and
Partynice in Wroclaw. The inauguration of the first postwar racing season in Wroclaw
took place on July 11th, 1953. For several years many kinds of gallop races were
organised: flat, hurdle and obstacle races. Since the war, the only seasons that
have not taken place at our course were in 1959, 1961, 1962 and 1993. In the
remaining years 2 to 25 race days were organised. The most prestigious was the
international meeting of socialist countries in 1969, moved from Prague to Wroclaw
for political reasons.
At present, there are 180
horses trained at the course: half-blooded and full-blooded English.
The
greatest number of buildings are from the beginning of this century, but there are
older ones as well. In the fifties 5 stables and race lottery booking office were
built.
This beautiful corner of Wroclaw, the racecourse, was leased by the
Municipality to the Agricultural Property Agency of the Treasury in Warsaw on
February 23rd, 1995, and since 25th March 1998 the racecourse has been owned by the
Municipality of Wroclaw. Now the Wroclaw Racecourse - Partynice is a budgetary unit
of the Municipality of Wroclaw.
Plans:
The restaurant-hotel complex,
breaking-in room with stables, a gymnasium, body-building room and sauna, mini-golf course
and tennis court are going to be built at the site. The first - a breaking-in room - has
already been built. The building, which was only used seasonally for many years,
will now be used year-round thanks to the new concept. Therefore, in addition to
buildings assigned solely to riding activities, there are footpaths, bridle paths
and bicycle paths planned.
