The Vrtba Garden is situated on the slope of Petřín Hill and is one of the most precious and beautiful of Prague’s Baroque gardens. Three other Baroque gardens (Vratislav, Schönborn and Lobkowicz) are situated nearby. The garden was created thanks to the clever solution of František Maximilian Kaňka, who first renovated the palace for Jan Josef, Count of Vrtba, the Highest Burgrave of Prague Castle, and then created the garden. The creation of the garden is associated with the construction boom around 1720.
The surprising effect of the garden’s composition is based on the gradation of the terrace plateaus interconnected by stairways and borne by supporting walls shaped in curves typical of the Baroque style.
The statue and sculpture decorations were created by Matyáš Bernard Braun. In addition, painter Václav Vavřinec Reiner was involved in the masterpiece. The interior decoration of the Sala Terrena has survived in its original designs until today. The fresco on the vault depicting Venus and Adonis was painted by Václav Vavřinec Reiner.
The Vrtba Garden is a cultural monument registered in the UNESCO World Heritage List. It is the property of the City of Prague. However, Casus Direct Mail a.s. is in charge of the management and maintenance of Vrtba Garden.
The official website of the garden is available here.
The Vrtba Garden is one of Prague’s smaller gardens, but its unique architectural design on an irregular slope as well as the artistic and historical value of its decoration ranks it high in importance in Europe. It is accessible from Karmelitská street, Malá Strana (the Lesser Quarter), Prague. Full address: Karmelitská 25, 118 00 Praha 1 – Malá Strana.
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