Hala Eden

Hala Eden has served Prague since 1975. This is a hall where the game is played on a flat, synthetic surface under artificial light. The capacity of 1,200 seats is a figure that holds for handball, though the layout works a short corner differently for futsal, the indoor version of the sport SK Slavia Praha also plays here.

The building has seen two major changes since opening. The first, in 1994, focused on equipment and the regeneration of the sports floor; the second, in 2009, was a full expansion that brought the numbers up to their current level. Between those dates the club hosted a concert by the band Death in 1998, a detail that lives in the local memory rather than the official record. The entrance itself, marked by the red lettering of SK Slavia Praha, leads past the museum and into the main hall, where the stands rise only a few rows high. The wind here does not ruin a passing game; it simply does not reach the pitch.

What makes the place different from the identical one down the road is its dual use. It is a swimming stadium and a sports hall, a combination that keeps the site busy through the week. The car park outside, visible in the winter light, fills with vans on match days, and the access from the railway station — Praha-Eden — means that for a town of this size, the ground is never far from home. The official capacity is 1,200, a number that has stuck since the last renovation, though the sources disagree on whether the figure applies to the hall or the wider complex. The fact is stated; the rest is speculation.