Cibulka Nature Park Look-out Tower and Sculptures

Cibulka Park is a wooded hill in west of Prague centre, sandwiched between the neighbourhoods of Motol and Jinonice, not in the centre but easy to reach by tram. A few paved roads and a maze of forest paths run through the park. The observation tower is probably the park’s biggest attraction and is the oldest in Prague. The view is impressive: to the north the hospital complex Motol, to the east the Strahov stadium and to the west the residential area of Řepy. Besides the watchtower there are six places of interest in Cibulka Park.

Cibulka Park laid out in English style

Cibulka Park is an English-style landscaped park near the Cibulka summer palace and laid out in the first half of the nineteenth century by Bishop Leopold Thun-Hohenštejn of Passau. He added buildings such as the Chinese Pavilion, the water well, the hermitage, a number of statues and a look-out tower. These unusual buildings gave visitors a glimpse of another world.

Sights in Cibulka Park

1. Statues

 * John of Nepomuk, priest and martyr from western Bohemia. Nepomuk, dressed in a priestly robe with a crucifix in his arms, stands on a pedestal bearing the emblem of Bishop Leopold Thun. On both sides are reliefs with scenes from the life of Nepomuk.

*Jupiter, Roman king of gods and god of sky and thunder. Jupiter stands with his right foot on the pedestal on which a relief with clouds and lightning bolts that symbolize his strength. He wears a crown and has a thunder ball in one hand and an eagle in his other. Some sources refer to this statue as Zeus or Dia, Greek names for this god.

*Kronos, god of agriculture and father of Zeus. Opinions on this statue differ; it could be Saturn, Roman God of agriculture, Laokoon a Trojan priest or St Christopher, the saint who helps in time of need. The statue is too weathered to see clearly whom it represents. It is a bearded man standing on a sarcophagus, leaning against a tree and appearing to be strangling a person. But that’s probably because it’s much weathered. The statue stands behind a Gothic niche below the look-out tower. This sculpture is also known as ‘the strangler’.

*Diana, Roman goddess of the hunt. The statue originally stood in a gloriette, an open round building with domed roof resting on six columns which collapsed during a storm in 1959. Diana is dressed in a close-fitting robe and over her shoulder a quiver with arrows. With one hand she strokes the head of a hunting dog, another dog lies at her feet.

2. Hermitage

A hermit never lived in the hermitage (poustevna). Inside there were two mechanical hermit dolls, one lying on a straw bed on the floor and the other sitting at the table reading the Bible. As soon as someone stepped over the threshold, the dolls jumped up and blessed the visitor. It was popular entertainment.

3. Chinese Pavilion

The Chinese Pavilion is a multi-storey octagonal building. Sandstone statues stood next to the entrance, but they have disappeared. Inside were cabinets with mirrors and chandeliers lit the rooms. There used to be a Chinese man on the roof with a parasol in his hand serving as a weather vane. Bells on the parasol chimed when moved by the wind. An Aeolian harp hung in a tree next to the pavilion. In the 1990s the man disappeared from the roof, the walls were covered with graffiti and the homeless took up residence. Recently, the pavilion has been renovated.

4. Water well, Studna Diana

A well is hidden in a small stucco shelter with a tiled roof that resembles a tiny chapel. At the front there is a barred gate serving as an entrance.

5. Look-out tower

The look-out tower is a square stone building of 13 metres high. Thirteen metres seems not very, but because the tower is on a hill, the view is grandiose. To the north you can see the Motol hospital complex, to the east the Strahov stadium and to the west the suburb of Repy. At the base of the tower is Dante’s Hell with a weathered sculpture, popularly called ‘the strangler’ but probably representing Kronos.

6. Praha Stodůlky station

On the southern side of the park, a railway line runs from east to west from Praha Hl Nadrazi to Hostivice with a station in the park, Praha Stodůlky. The route goes through a wooded area and stops at picturesque stations.

7. Cibulka farm

The woods on Cibulka belonged to the former Cibulka homestead, which took its name from the Cibulka family from Veleslavín, who owned a local vineyards in the 15th century. At the beginning of the eighteenth century, Bishop Leopold Thun-Hohenštejn of Passau bought the farm and had the entire complex transformed into a summer palace. The main building was extended with two floors and outbuildings were added. He laid out an English-style garden with ponds, statues, garden pavilions and a look-out tower. The Summer Palace is located on u Cibulky street.

Cibulka, the first theme park?

Cibulka experienced its glory years from 1817-1826, when it was owned by Count and Bishop Leopold Thun–Hohenštejn of Passau, an enlightened ruler who created a beautiful neo-romantic summer residence and a delightful park to entertain visitors.

There were ponds, promenades lined with trees, sculptures, follies, a cave, a ruin, a hermitage and a look-out tower. Especially the mechanical puppets in the hermitage were great entertainment. They might have been forerunners of theme parks.

The park was famous. Francis II, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, visited it in 1824, confirming the importance of the park at the time. The Tuscan pillar is a remnant in memory of his visit. In 1826, the bishop died in his summer residence. The funeral was attended by a many people who accompanied him to the Mala Strana cemetery where he was buried in a five-metre high tomb with a sculpture of the bishop kneeling in prayer. More about Mala Strana cemetery

Trees in Cibulka Park

The whole area is wooded with trees of respectable size; among them are oak and ash. It is a nature lover’s paradise with a maze of almost endless trails. Deer, squirrels and all kinds of birds can be seen in abundance.

Buildings around the Summer Palace
Top right the palace, top left the Chinese Pavilion, bottom left gloriette of Diana, look-out tower and the statue of Kronos.

The artists is František Chalupa (1828-1887) a Czech painter and illustrator who mainly focused on Czech landscape and architecture. His illustrations appeared regularly in magazines.

More places of interest in the park

*Vista Resort hotel, Nad Hlinikem 2, restaurant, wellness, fitness and sports all under one roof

*Indoor velodrome, Nad Hlinikem 4

*Golf course with a restaurant, Goldscheierova 318

*Greyhound park Motol, Plzenska 215, sports entertainment complex surrounded by greenery, best known for greyhound racing. When there are no races, you can ride go-karts and pedalos, go skateboarding or eat or drink a beer in the restaurant with outdoor seating in summer.

*Trabant Museum, Plzenska 290, an exhibition of Trabant cars that were once very popular in the GDR, former East Germany, but also in Czechoslovakia and other Eastern bloc countries. More about the Trabant museum.

*Plzenska 229: Hotel Stary Pivovar. Located in the former Motol Beer Brewery in a beautifully restored building. You can still drink beer on the terrace in summer and in the brick-vaulted bar in winter

Getting there

Cibulka Park is located west of the city centre, in the Košíře district, bordered on the north by Plzeňská-street

Public transport: Tram 9 to the Postovka stop

Walking directions:
1. Cross Plzenska street and take nad Hlinikem street, go as far as the of Nepomuk on your left.
2. Turn left after the statue and follow the path which takes you to the Chinese pavilion.
3. Take the first path on the right which leads past the summer palace.
4. Continue the path southwards to the look-out tower, hermitage and Kronos statue.
5. Keep walking in southern direction until you get to pod Dianou, a small pond, and on to the water well. turn left at the water well.
6. Cross the train track s and walk parallel to the train track.
7. This path leads to u Lesika street. Bus 123 direction na Knizeci stops in Andel.

Photos Jeroen Schornagel and Wiki Commons