1874: The first Velká Pardubická steeplechase

Pardubice has been closely associated with horse-breeding and horse-racing for centuries – indeed, a white horse forms part of the city’s coat-of-arms.
The flat terrain of the local landscape, with numerous small streams, copses and avenues of trees, made it an ideal location for locally based cavalry officers to pursue the English pastime of par force hunting (hunting deer with hounds). The first par force hunt in the Pardubice area was held in 1841, and from then on, hunts took place on an annual basis until 1913. The city was a magnet for aristocrats from all over the Habsburg Monarchy, and occasionally it welcomed members of the imperial family, as well as VIP guests from abroad. The aristocrats would often spend huge sums of money while in Pardubice, which delighted local business-owners.

Horse-races became a popular type of accompanying event during the par force hunting season, and they were held regularly at the local racecourse from 1856 onwards. In 1874 Emperor Franz Joseph I and Empress Elisabeth visited Pardubice and attended the first-ever Velká Pardubická steeplechase – one of the most challenging steeplechase events in Europe. The race was the brainchild of three noblemen – Prince Emil Fürstenberg, Count Max Ugarte and Count Oktavián Kinský. Fourteen horses started in the 1874 race, but only six of them finished, and the winner was the stallion Fantôme. The Velká Pardubická remains an annual event, held every autumn; it has only been interrupted by the two world wars and the Soviet invasion in 1968.
People have sometimes attempted to conquer the steeplechase course (though not at the same time as the horses!) in order to test their athleticism and endurance. The first such attempt was in 1928.