Wallenstein Garden and Palace for a pleasant stroll

Wallenstein Garden (Valdštejnská zahrada) in Prague’s Mala Strana district is a popular attraction. This Baroque garden laid-out with geometrically-shaped hedges filled with flowers belongs to Wallenstein Palace, the seat of the Senate of the Czech Republic. The eye-catcher is the Sala Terrena, a monumental three-arcade building. Wallenstein Garden is an oasis of peace in the heart of Prague. Access to the garden is free. Concerts are held here in summer.

Wallenstein Garden: what to see

1. Baroque garden with statues and fountains
2. Ponds with carp
3. Statues of Greek Gods 
4. Aviary with exotic birds
5. White peacocks roaming freely
6. Artificial grotto, a ‘stalactite’ grey wall
7. Sala Terrena with frescoes
8. Classical summer concerts in the garden
9. Riding School Picture Gallery
10. Trčkov Gallery

1. Wallenstein Garden Baroque at its best

Wallenstein Garden is one of the finest examples of Prague Baroque. Bronze statues of Greek Gods adorn the path leading to the garden’s showpiece: the Sala Terrena, a loggia with three arches and richly decorated with frescoes. The statues in the garden were made by the Dutch sculptor Adriaen de Vries (1545-1626) who settled in Prague at the time of Rudolf II.

2. The Statues in Wallenstein Garden

The original statues were taken as spoils of war by the Swedes during the Thirty Years’ War in the seventeenth century. They have never been returned and the statues you see in the garden are replicas. Hercules fighting Hydra is on an islet in the pond. Ponds with duck and carp and five fountains, one of them decorated with a sculpture of Venus and Cupid, are characteristic features of the garden. If you want to see the originals sculptures, you will have to go to Drottningholm Castle in Sweden, the private residence of the Swedish royal family and a popular tourist attraction.

3. Wallenstein Palace

The garden belongs to Wallenstein Palace. By order of Albrecht van Wallenstein, about thirty houses and a brick factory had to make way for the construction of this palace, built between 1623 and 1630. Trčkov Gallery is an exhibition in the crypt of the palace displaying ‘business gifts’ that heads of state exchanged during official visits.

4. Wallenstein Riding School

The Wallenstein riding school was built as a part of Waldenstein Palace. The National Gallery of Prague organizes temporary exhibitions in the riding school (Valdštejnská jízdárna). In 1845, the Wallenstein Riding School was the venue for the ball in honour of the engagement of the Imperial couple Franz Josef I and Elizabeth, better known as Empress Sissi. Early twentieth century, the automobile manufacturers Laurin and Klement had a repair workshop here. The company was the largest car manufacturer in Austria-Hungary. In 1925, it was taken over by Škoda Auto and is now part of the Volkswagen Group. The name Laurin and Klement is still used to distinguish luxurious editions of some of their cars.

5. Artificial grotto

The stalactites covering the grotto wall are an impressive natural phenomenon, but when you get closer, they are not what they seem to be: the wall is 100% fake. The grotto is shrouded in mysteries: it is said that he grotto is a labyrinth of secret passageways and accessible for those who van find the way in.

If you stare at the wall long enough, you will begin to discern shapes (this is a fact). Human faces, peering out from the recesses in the wall, as well as animals, reptiles, fake windows and claws. The longer you look, the more you see.

Historians have been unable to find out what was the use of the grotto and the stalactite wall. Maybe it was just for amusement and entertaining guests.

6. Aviary

The aviary is part of the stalactite wall. It is the habitat of an owl and some other exotic birds . An aviary fits perfectly in this exotic garden that the Count von Wallenstein had created for himself. It probably made him forget the violence of war: the Thirty Years War was being waged during his lifetime.

7. Sala Terrana

A sala terrena is a large room or hall open on one side with direct access to a garden. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, these halls were fashionable and every resident who built a mansion or palace also added a sala terrana, often with beautiful frescoes, trompe l’oeil and other decorations.

The sala terrana of the Wallenstein palace has three monumental arches and is a faithful copy of the portico of the cathedral in Livorno in Italy. The vaults of the Wallenstein Sala Terrana are decorated with rich stucco and frescoes depicting gods from ancient Greece. The images are surrounded by stucco depicting the Trojan War story.

Getting there

Wallenstein Garden (Valdštejnská zahrada), Letenská 4, Mala Strana, Prague
Take metro A (green line) to metro station Malostranská. Go up all the escalators and turn left at the top Daily 07.30-17.30

Nearby place of interest
National Pedagogical Museum (Národní pedagogické museum), dedicated to Jan Amos Comenius – a humanist who championed education for all, both boys and girls and of all walks of life. He wrote textbooks and developed a new school system for Poland, Sweden and Hungary.
Valdštejnská 18/20, Mala Strana
Tuesday to Sunday: 10.00-17.00 closed on Mondays

photos Marianne Crone and Jeroen Schornagel