Gardens below the Prague Castle

Palace gardens below Prague Castle are a wonderful place to relax and have a look at Lesser Town and Prague’s splendid red roofs are the terraced gardens below the Castle: Ledebur Garden, Small and Great Palffy Gardens, Kolowrat and Small Fürstenberk Gardens.

The Gardens spread out over the southern slope under Prague Castle. The gardens were established on the site of vineyards or Renaissance gardens attached to aristocratic palaces. The steep terrain has been refashioned into several terrace levels. The nature of the gardens ranged from pure utility with vineyards and fruit trees, right through to decorative with rich and varied landscaping. The gardens are linked nowadays and their composition makes up a unique garden complex.

All of the Palace Gardens have varied architectural decoration, decorative staircases, balustrades, lookout terraces and small pavilions integrally composed with vegetation into picturesque ensembles.

On the southern slopes leading down from Prague Castle there is a group of gardens formed by 5 palace gardens – the Ledeburg garden, Lesser Pálffy Garden, the Greater Pálffy Garden, the Kolowrat Garden and the Lesser Fürstenberg Garden. All of these gardens are interconnected. There are unforgettable views of Prague from the almost 30 garden terraces.

While standing on their upper terraces, you can enjoy views of the roofs of the Lesser Quarter dominated by the cupola of St Nicholas’ Church; Petřín Hill; Vítkov Hill on the horizon to the north-east; dominant features of the Old Town and the quarters behind it; the shining surface of the River Vltava; Vyšehrad; and the hills above the Vltava valley rising to the south-east. Planted with a variety of trees, shrubs and numerous other plants, the gardens offer charms which are definitely worth checking out.

THE LEDEBURG GARDEN
In the past a Renaissance palace terraced garden existed on the slope behind the Ledeburg Palace. Most probably prior to 1710 Marie Karolína and Leopold Antonín Trautmannsdorf began to build a Baroque garden there. Between 1988 and 1995 it underwent extensive reconstruction consisting of architectural adaptations, restoration and cultivation of plants carried out with the aim of returning the garden – as much as possible – to its original appearance in line with the project documentation.

THE SMALL PÁLFFY GARDEN
This is the smaller of the two gardens situated adjacent to the Pálffy Palace (Valdštejnská Street No. 158). Records show that from the mid-1400s onwards vineyards existed on the site. Located on the southern slope, the garden is articulated into seven terraces interconnected by a perpendicular staircase situated rather asymmetrically on the east side. In the upper part you will find a small “Krakonoš Garden” planted with herbs and perennial plants. The niche in the retaining wall on the highest terrace is adorned by a sculpture created by Nejdek.

THE GREAT PÁLFFY GARDEN
The origin of the Large Pálffy Garden, situated on the slope above the Pálffy Palace (Valdštejnská Street No. 158), resembles that of the Small Pálffy Garden which lies adjacent to the west side of the garden. Here too vineyards attested in records existed from the mid-15th century onwards. The garden’s eight terraced areas are interconnected in the central axis by open stairs which alternate with tunnel stairs. A circular pond with a cast-iron statuette of Triton is situated in the centre of the lowest terrace.

THE KOLOWRAT GARDEN
This garden belongs to the Kolowrat Palace (Valdštejnská Street No. 154). Built by Palliardi after 1784 for Countess Marie Barbora Černín, the palace stands on the site of a house which was once the property of Vilém Lobkowicz. In the 19th century the Princes of Hanava owned the palace. Situated on the slope between the Large Pálffy Garden and the Small Fürstenberg Garden, this garden of a traditionally utility character is separated from the palace by a courtyard which became the main starting point of tours of the palace gardens. The east part of the lower terrace contains a Baroque fountain with a gargoyle. Traditionally the garden is planted with fruit trees supplemented by shrubs and other plants.

THE SMALL FÜRSTENBERG GARDEN
The Small Fürstenberg Garden lies adjacent to the Fürstenberg Palace (Valdštejnská Street No. 155). A record dating from 1528 mentions a utility garden with a vineyard there; in the mid-1700s there was a Baroque Italian-style terraced garden. This garden ranks among the most sophisticated terraced gardens to be found in Prague. The narrow strip of the precipitous slope between two parcel walls is articulated into ten terraces planted with roses, lavender and other traditional plants. A flight of stairs provides access from the parterre at the foot of the slope to a glorietto (a small garden structure).

THE LARGE FÜRSTENBERG GARDEN
Located in Valdštejnská Street (No. 153). The largest of the palace gardens (covering an area of 1.5 hectares, it is 130 metres wide and climbs to a height of 35 metres), the Fürstenberg Garden was the last to be opened (in June 2008, after an extensive reconstruction) to the general public. The terraced part of the garden is open to the general public while the lower part belongs to the Polish Embassy. The garden’s ten irregular terraces are interconnected by a central staircase in the central axis which climbs to a pavilion situated on the highest terrace. This terrace offers spectacular views of the city.

Gardens below the Prague Castle can be visited through these inputs :

* Valdštejnská str. 12-14 - Main Treasury
* Prague Castle - Southern Gardens - Garden on the Ramparts
- only during opening hours Prague Castle Gardens

Opening hours
April 10 am - 6 pm daily
May 10 am - 7 pm daily
June 10 am - 9 pm daily
July 10 am - 9 pm daily
August 10 am - 8 pm daily
September 10 am - 7 pm daily
October 10 am - 6 pm daily

ENTRANCE FEE
Adults 80,- CZK
Children, students 50,- CZK
Seniors over 65 y 50,- CZK
Familly
(2 adults+max.3 children ) 200,- CZK

More informations : http://www.palacove-zahrady.cz/home-page/