Castle Gardens on the Rampart

The Castle Gardens on the ramparts are located on the southern slope below Prague Castle. They are separate gardens situated below, beside and above each other. The name of each garden is the same as the palace to which the garden belongs: Ledebour, Palffy, Kolowrat and Fürstenberk, these four palaces are located on Valdstejnska street. Each garden is laid out in a particular style and all offer magnificent views of Prague. They have viewing terraces, stately staircases, sculptures and a wealth of flowers in the summer. During the summer season concerts are held in the gardens.

Castle Gardens: Ledenbour Garden

Ledenbour garden consists of two parts. The lower part is flat and as wide as the palace it belongs to. The upper garden is narrower and sits on a slope that ends in stairs leading to an octagonal pavilion. In the lower part of the garden is a sala terrena now used as a concert hall. Opposite the hall is a double staircase and a fountain with a sculpture of Hydra, the nine-headed poisonous water serpent. In the central part there is another fountain and a sundial. Grapes and climbing roses grow against the walls and in summer there are flowers and plants in terracotta pots.

Castle Gardens: Palffy Gardens

The small Palffy garden consists of seven terraced levels connected by staircases. At the top and bottom they are connected to two adjacent gardens: Ledebour and the large Palffy gardens. The garden has a utilitarian character with an abundance of pear, apple and cherry trees. A vine grows against a south-facing wall. Behind the steep stairs in the upper part is a smaller garden with medicinal plants.

The large Palffy garden extends over eight interconnected levels. On the lowest terrace there is a pond with a sculpture of the sea god Triton. On the second terrace there is a sundial with the inscription: Claret in orbe dies, ac teatras, hora pete umbras – let a clear day in the world dispel the gloomy shadows – and the year 1751 in Roman numerals.

Kolowrat Garden

Terraced Kolowrat garden is located on a steep hill on the former medieval ramparts. A stairs connect the seven terraces. There is also a baroque fountain with a gargoyle and in the garden are pear and apricot trees.

Furstenberk Garden

Furstenberk Garden is a Baroque, terraced garden in Italian style. There are stately stairs and a pavilion with grisaille and allegorical frescoes of the four seasons. On the balustrade of the stairs to the second terrace there are putti and decorative vases. There is also an orangerie, a sala terrena and a viewing terrace. The climbing roses are typical of this garden.

The model of Langweil

After the Velvet Revolution in 1989, the gardens were renovated and mid 1990s opened to the public. The Model of Prague is a cardboard scale model of the Prague Castle, Mala Strana and Stare Mesto districts. Antonin Langweil made this scale model between 1826 and 1837. It shows in great detail what Prague looked like in those days, including details like house signs, frescoes and sundials, but also flaking paint, cracked walls and broken windows. This model is invaluable to architects when they restore old buildings in Prague centre. It was also an excellent tool to restore the castle gardens to their original state.

The Model of Prague is on display in Muzeum Prahy, the Municipal Museum of Prague, na Porice 52.

Getting there

The gardens are located between Prague Castle and the Mala Strana district and are open from April to October from 10am to 6pm. Entrance through Valdstejnska street 12-14

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photos: Jeroen Schornagel