Prague In Plain Sight #5 - The Wallenstein Gardens

There is a myriad of palaces and gardens on the Malá Strana side of the Vltava. I’ve written about a few of them including the Palace Gardens and Vojanovy sady.

I’d read about the Wallenstein Gardens (Valdštejnská zahrada) but it took me a while to find out where the physical entrance was. As is often the case in Prague, I’d walked past the entrance dozens of times without realising that the doorway set in the long whitewashed wall running the length of Letenská was the portal to the secret garden. It didn’t help that the gardens are only open between April and October, which meant I had to wait for six months before the door was open!

Wallenstein Palace in Malá Strana

Covering over 4 acres (1.7 hectares) the Wallenstein Garden and Palace complex lies sandwiched between Letenská and  Valdštejnská, in the heart of the government district of Prague. It was built by Albrecht of Valdstejn between 1623 and 1630. The general was one of the most influential Catholic commanders in the imperial army of Ferdinand II and was the Commander-in-Chief during the Thirty Years War. Ultimately, Ferdinand had him assassinated in 1634, so he only lived in his palace for a year. However, it remained in the Wallenstein family until 1945. Following the war, it became the property of the Czech state, and now houses the Senate of the Czech Republic.

The Sala Terrana hosts concerts and plays

The palace complex was designed to rival Prague Castle and consists of four main courtyards, a period garden, a riding school, an aviary, a grotto, a pavilion overlooking a fountain and lake, and an Avenue of sculptures.

Looking down the mythological corridor

These sculptures and frescos which adorn the palace and garden buildings are all based on mythological stories and beings, but many of them include depictions of the Duke himself, giving us an indication of his vanity, and why Ferdinand II considered him a threat to his own reign.

The Sala Terrena is used for plays and concerts and shows scenes from the Trojan War. Next to this is the artificial grotto, comprising lime stucco stalactites built using roof ridge tiles.

The Grotto

A nearby, small fountain is a copy of a bronze original of Venus with Cupid and a dolphin, which was taken by the Swedish Army as war booty in 1648. The same fate met the statues of the mythological avenue, created in 1625-26. These are now copies also, as the originals are still located in Castle Drootningholm in Sweden.  The main fountain is a sculpture of Hercules with the Nayades (river nymphs), and the pond in which it stands was used for experiments with a steamship in 1816.

As I mentioned, the gardens are closed during the winter, but if you’re in Prague between late spring and autumn the Wallenstein gardens should be near the top of your bucket list. Aim to go earlier in the morning, as the gardens are popular with large, organised groups and it's best to appreciate the splendour of the surroundings in relative peace and quiet, and easier to take photos of the statues (and the white peacocks) before small children start climbing all over them!