Green Spaces Gardens, Parks & Natural Retreats Table of Contents
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Green Spaces Gardens, Parks & Natural retreats Table of contents: Five good reasons to head for the outdoors in Prague . 4 Historical Gardens . 6 Parks and Orchards . 18 Selected green spaces on the map of Prague. 28 Palace Parks . 38 Islands . 42 The Zoo and Botanical Gardens . 46 Natural Retreats . 50 Index . 56 Pictogram annotation Wheelchair accessible Running Cycling Playground Nature trail The approximate walking time Local landmark Picnic site with firepit Local restaurant Entrance fee Lookout point Photo on the cover: View from Petřínské sady park to the Prague Castle Stromovka – Royal governor’s summer house in the background The2 PalaceFive Gardens good reasons beneath toPrague head Castle for the outdoors in Prague Five good reasons to head for the outdoors in Prague 3 Even a casual glance at a map of Prague reveals the extent to museum, villa, a lookout point, folly, fountain, statue or possibly just which greenery of various types forms a striking and integral an information panel or a nature trail. feature of the city. Woods, parks and gardens currently cover some 20% of the city’s area. Moreover, in a recent comparative analysis* of the extent of greenery in fifty major 3) Sport and events agglomerations, our capital city was ranked the greenest metropolis in the world. In short, outdoor spaces have the Prague’s woodlands, parks and gardens are naturally popular green light in Prague. with sports-minded outdoor enthusiasts and athletes, especially runners. Many cultural and social events also take place in among Prague’s leafy nooks, be they festivals of all kinds, concerts, theatre performances, celebrations, exhibitions, or culinary events. Five good reasons to head for the outdoors in Prague: 4) Kids and fun The city’s green spaces are indeed kid-friendly and make an ideal 1) Expanse and diversity destination for family trips, picnics, and walks. Well worth a mention are plentiful playgrounds, jungle gyms, rope courses, mini zoos, and Greenery makes up about one fifth of Prague, making it one of the more. greenest cities worldwide. The diversity of its green spaces is just as impressive; they range from expansive woodlands, through large park complexes to smaller orchards to walled-in historical gardens. 5) Accessibility and The choice is yours. connections This aspect is one of Prague’s strongest points. Densely close-knit, 2) History and the arts Prague’s green zones often join up one to another. You also don’t need to go very far to reach a green zone or spend hours travelling Prague’s natural sites offer more than just peace and relaxation; outside the city. Much of Prague’s greenery is in or near the city they commonly hide treasures to discover. Your outdoor centre. And if you do decide to head further out, accessibility is explorations will often come with a cultural bonus – a stately home, excellent and the public transit reliable and safe. * 2018 Green Cities Index, by the Dutch agency TravelBird, travelbird.nl 4 Five good reasons to head for the outdoors in Prague Five good reasons to head for the outdoors in Prague 5 You would be hard-pressed to match Prague’s historical Historical Gardens gardens and their special charm anywhere else in Europe. Surrounded by architectural treasures from many historical periods they have been cherished retreats for centuries. Nowadays, many of these gardens serve as popular and Have yourself a Royal picnic right vibrant cultural venues and meeting places. beneath the Castle. In the upper Deer moat, away from crowds of tourists, in the former ’bearkeepers’ cottage, you can rent some comfortable Prague Castle Gardens blankets and enjoy an alfresco feast with your friends within sight of the (Zahrady Pražského hradu) Castle itself. The picnic meadow is q w close to ‘Masaryk’s lookout point’ and Pražský hrad, Prague 1 – Hradčany www.hrad.cz r offers unusual views of the Castle and daily 10:00–18:00 (April–October) n y c surroundings. access: A (to Malostranská) and then about 7 minutes on foot up the Old Castle Steps, k 22 & 23 (to Pražský hrad), k 12, 15, 20, 22 & 23 (to Malostranské náměstí) and c about 13 minutes a walk up Nerudova street 2 hrs A cluster of gardens great and small, encircling our most famous landmark. Among the south-facing ‘Southern Gardens’ (Jižní zahrady), the ‘Paradise’ (Rajská) and ‘On the Ramparts’ (Na Valech) gardens are open to the public. Their current shape is true to their original 1920s layout, conceived for Czechoslovakia’s first President, T. G. Masaryk, by the Slovenian architectural visionary Jože Plečnik as part of his grand remodelling plan for Prague Castle. Plečnik built the gardens as two connected but distinct spaces. In the process, he removed a tall defensive wall shielding the Na Valech garden from the city, thereby opening up grand vistas and symbolically connecting the Castle with the city below. Plečnik dotted the gardens with sculptural elements, lookouts and gazebos, some of which were intended as private working retreats for President Masaryk; the latter, however, soon had the gardens opened to the public. Among the gardens’ architectural highlights are the Bull Staircase leading down from the courtyard outside St Vitus Cathedral into the gardens, the charming ‘Small Belvedere’ lookout with a paved floor whose pattern mimics the Bohemian ‘kolache’ pastries, and the ‘Moravian bastion’, a onetime working and gathering retreat especially beloved by Masaryk. The Royal Garden (Královská zahrada) is the most popular and historically the most prized of all the Castle gardens. It is accessible in the summer season via the western gates from U Prašného mostu street or from the north near the Queen Anne‘s Summer House. Founded in 1534 by Ferdinand I of Habsburg to Italian View6 at Historicalthe Prague GardensCastle from the Deer moat Historical Gardens 7 U G P o r Chotkova g a ol š ov n a é Jelení h o m Mariánské hradby Chotkovy U Brusnice o s t sady u Královská HRADČANY zahrada Chotkova Jízdárna Pražského hradu Dolní Jelení příkop U Bruských The entire lower part of the Deer moat is kasáren Horní Jelení příkop Zlatá ulička Pod Bruskou closed in 2018 due to renovations. cké schod Pražský Staré záme y hrad á iřsk á J ikářsk náměstí Ka V no U Svatého Palácové zahrady vn zahrada ic Jiří k Na Baště U Kasáren á MALOSTRANSKÁ Schwarzenberský Hrad palác III. nádvoří Hradčanské Jižní zahrady Valdštejnská náměstí Loreta Valdštejnské Zám ec náměstí k Klárov é Radnické sch Valdštejnská radu od Loretánská schody Ke H y zahrada á sk MALÁ Thunovská n Sněmovní te Úvoz e L STRANA Nerudova Tomášská design, the current layout follows its English re-styling from the mid-19 th century. The local architectural gems are a popular tourist attraction. There’s the Letohrádek královny Anny (‘Queen Anne‘s Summer House’), a splendid Renaissance building, with the sgraffito-covered Míčovna (‘Ball Game Hall’) building nearby. The icing on the cake is the Singing Fountain, a cast-iron masterpiece from the second half of the 16th century. The Royal Garden is separated from Prague Castle by the Deer moat (Jelení příkop), a deep natural ravine with its own stream, the Brusnice. During the reign of Emperor Rudolf II, it served as a game reserve for deer hunting (hence the name). These days, the gulley makes for a memorable outing along the northern edge of Prague Castle, with something to offer modern architecture lovers, too; the 84-metre tunnel under the Powder bridge, by the acclaimed architect Josef Pleskot. The passageway connecting the lower and the upper part of the moat is elliptical in section and its dark red brick tiles create a cosy mood. A different kind of greenery grows among the gardens of Prague Castle in the St Wenceslas vineyard, whose orderly rows crest the hilltop above the Old Castle Steps. Legend has it that this is the oldest vineyard in Bohemia, established and personally cultivated by the patron of the Czech Lands, Prince Wenceslas. The dominant local landmark is the neoclassical Villa Richter, known for its restaurants. It is worth mentioning that this is the only place where you can sample the limited edition wines from St Wenceslas vineyard. For added value, you get some incomparable views of the Old Town, the Lesser Town and the Queen Anne‘s Summer House. 8 Historical Gardens HistoricalSt Wenceslas Gardens vineyard9 Wallenstein Garden The Palace Gardens beneath Wallenstein Garden Prague Castle (Valdštejnská zahrada) (Palácové zahrady pod q Letenská, Prague 1 – Lesser Town w www.senat.cz Pražským hradem) r Mon–Fri 7:30–18:00, Sat–Sun 10:00–18:00 (April, May, October), Mon–Fri 7:30–19:00 and Sat–Sun 10:00–19:00 (June–September) q Valdštejnská 14, Prague 1 – Lesser Town n access: y A (to Malostranská) w www.palacove-zahrady.cz r daily 10:00–18:00 (April, October) and 10:00–19:00 (May–September) 30 mins n access: y A (to Malostranská) One of the most striking ‘greening schemes’ of Czech early 1 hr Baroque dates from around the building of the Wallenstein Palace (1623–1629). The garden design follows ancient tradition and is the Five interconnected terraced gardens (the Ledebourg, Small and second largest of its kind in the metropolis, surpassed only by the Large Pálffy, Kolovrat and Small Fürstenberg gardens) form a gardens of Prague Castle. Visitors’ eyes are at once captivated by distinctive natural architectural complex on the southern slopes a magnificent edifice, boasting a monumental three-arch portico, of Hradčany Hill. The cascading composition with its adjacent the Sala Terrena. Its decoration is inspired by Greek and Roman palaces and pavilions is covered with smaller-scale garden fixtures, mythology; there is also an artificial Grotto with its stalagmites, th added over the years from the end of the 17 century to the present.