The Royal Garden — Attraction in Prague

The Royal Gardens are historically the most valuable of all the castle gardens. Founded in 1534 by Ferdinand I. Habsburg, they were inspired by Italian designs; the current form of the garden, however, follows the English adaptation of the 19th century. One of its greatest treasures is the Singing Fountain, one of the most beautiful fountains in Renaissance Europe. The southern gardens (Paradise, Ramparts and Hartig Gardens) spreading along the southern facade of the Prague Castle offer striking views of the Lesser Quarter, Old Town and nearby Petřín. The Royal Garden (Královská zahrada) is an Italian Renaissance garden, situated in Prague Castle, and created around 1540 based on the project by Emperor Ferdinand I of Habsburg. Its site was originally a vineyard that Emperor Ferdinand I purchased to create a garden for the royal court. The main entrance to the garden is from the U Prašného mostu Street, approximately opposite the Prague Castle Riding School (Jízdárna Pražského hradu). It spreads on a surface of 3.6 hectares between the Deer Moat (Jelení příkop) and the Mariánské hradby Street. You can walk through the garden all the way to Queen Anna’s Summer House (Letohrádek královny Anny). The garden was established by Ferdinand I of Habsburg in 1534 in place of several original vineyards. The original garden made in style of Italian garden architecture was established under the leadership of Giovanni Spatio, who also initiated the building of the summer house and the stone enclosure wall. The garden was connected with the castle via a bridge over a trench. Over time, the royal summer house was completed, with a fountain, in 1581 - 1583 a menagerie was established - The Lions’ or the Bear’s Yard, by architect Oldřich Aostalis; transformed into a luxury wine cellar and a restaurant in 1970 by architect Josef Hlavatý. The Ball Game Hall (Míčovna) was completed in 1569; the fig tree conservatory was built under the summer house in 1590, and orange conservatory was built in 1601. The original geometric Renaissance layout was preserved until the beginning of the 18th century. Rare trees and bushes were planted here; chestnut trees were grown here, as well as the first tulips in Europe, a gift of the Turkish sultan. From here they spread into the Netherlands. The garden also served the purpose of a utility garden. During the 18th century, the garden was modified in Baroque style by the gardener František Zinner Jr. in cooperation with Kilián Ignác Dienztenhofer and Matyáš Braun, who decorated the garden by different decorative sculptures: little angels playing with lions, vases and Braun’s sculptural group named Night from 1734 in front of the Ball Game Hall. The sculptural group named Night used to have its opposite named Day, which was destroyed in Prussian siege in 1757. In the garden, there is the presidential residence(called Cottage - Domeček). It consists of a preserved bricked middle part of a Baroque greenhouse (built by K. I. Dientzenhofer in 1731). Upon a suggestion of president E. Beneš, two side wings were added to the Baroque greenhouse according to a project of Pavel Janák in the years 1937 - 38. All the presidents lived here between the years 1938 and 1989. There is an alley stretching through the centre of the garden with a Baroque niche in the end, where there is a fountain with a statue of Hercules, made by Jan Jiří Bendl. There are rare coniferous trees growing here, as well as evergreen broad-leaved trees, and alleys of linden trees, hornbeams and horse chestnuts, beech trees, sycamores, maples, etc. and azaleas, rhododendrons, guelder-roses, tree peonies, and many others. There is a giardinetto in front of the Royal Summer House, which is a decorative small garden modified by architect Pavel Janák in Renaissance style according to the model of Dutch architect Vreedeman de Vries from the 2nd half of the...

We visited the Royal Garden of Prague Castle only to find it closed, which was extremely disappointing. It’s widely considered one of the most beautiful parts of the castle complex, and we were looking forward to experiencing its famous views and peaceful ambiance. There was no clear information available online or at the entrance about its closure, which made the experience even more frustrating.

Given the reputation of Prague Castle as a top tourist destination, better communication about closures and alternative suggestions for visitors would be highly appreciated. For those planning their visit, make sure to double-check the accessibility of the gardens beforehand to avoid the same...

A beautiful quite garden on the territory of Prague castle. It is usually closed in winter, and the opening time starts somewhere in April. To get inside you will need to go through security check in. The territiry of the garden is pretty large. You can have a nice view on St.Vitus cathedral and powder tower. There is a presidental house, 16th cen queen's summer castle, many little fountains - including the singing fountain, 100m long orangery with roses and tropical flowers. The garden has a large diversity of trees that makes a walk very pleasant. You can find many benches to sit on and enjoy the view. I would say it is not...