Wallenstein Garden in Prague / Valdštejnská zahrada v Praze
N 50° 05.409 E 014° 24.470
33U E 457640 N 5548821
Magnificent early Baroque Wallenstein Garden (In Czech: Valdštejnská zahrada), built together with the Wallenstein palace in 1623–1630 is probably the first palace garden in Prague. Now you can find it as a lovely and quiet place in the city centre.
Waymark Code: WM6GYY
Location: Hlavní město Praha, Czechia
Date Posted: 06/03/2009
Views: 211
The geometric early-Baroque garden by the Wallenstein Palace was built in Italian style in 1620s. There is a Sala terrena, a stalactite Grotto, an Aviary for keeping exotic birds and an artificial lake with an island. The garden is decorated with numerous sculptures.
The Sala terrena was built in 1627 by Andrea Spezza. It is 30 metres high and it has three arcades. There are fresco paintings and stuccoes by Baccio Bianco, depicting scenes from the Trojan War. The play "Wallenstein" by Friedrich Schiller was staged there in 1859 and an exhibition "Prague Baroque" took place there in 1938. Since then, the sala terrena is a place, where dramatic performances and concerts are held.
A small salon by the sala terrena is painted with a fresco, depicting the legend of Argonauts and the Golden Fleece. The stalactite grotto is sometimes incorrectly called Wallenstein´s Bathroom. The artificial lake was used for sailing. The inventor Josef Božek made experiments there with his model of a steamship in 1816.
The famous Dutch sculptor Adriaen de Vries made a series of sculptures for the Wallenstein Garden in 1626. The sculptures represent figures from Greek mythology and they are valuable Mannerist works of art. These sculptures were stolen by the Swedish army in 1648 and they can still be seen in the garden of Drootningholm castle in Sweden. You can see replicas of these sculptures in the Wallenstein Garden.
The only sculpture given back to Prague is Venus with Amor and a dolphin by Benedikt Wurzelbauer from 1599. It is placed in the Prague Castle Gallery and there is a replica in the Wallenstein Garden. You can see it at the bronze fountain in front of the sala terrena.
A former Riding Hall is situated at the end of the Wallenstein Garden. It is an exhibition space of the National Gallery in Prague at the present time.
The garden is open during the warmer months, from April 1 to Oct. 31 from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm. It is closed in the winter months. Entrance is free.