Historic gardens worth the climb

To explore the best gardens of Prague, it turns out that you must be part mountain goat.

Prior to leaving on our trip – which also included visits to Vienna and Budapest – I had researched noteworthy gardens and learned that most are located west of Prague’s city center, in the Mala Strana (Lesser Quarter) neighborhood.

What my guidebook didn’t indicate was how hilly that region is. Comfortable walking shoes are a must.

My husband, Bill, and I first explored the gardens of Petrin Hill. While there were maps showing the layout of the area – which consisted of circuitous paths that went up, down and across the hill – most signs were in the Czech language.

“Does that sign mean we can go through this gate, or is it forbidden to go that way?” we wondered.

While puzzling over where the gardens were, we soon discovered that “gardens” can also mean green spaces instead of the formal gardens I was expecting to see. Oftentimes, that meant a lawn with benches for resting or rows of hedges lining the pathways.

After some wandering and energetic climbing, we finally were rewarded with a glorious rose garden, complete with arbors and pillars of climbing roses. There were beds of rose bushes in every color imaginable, lavender plants buzzing with bee activity and blue bellflowers. While we stood there appreciating the view as visitors, I noticed this garden was equally popular with the locals.

Away from the rose garden, we came upon a large pond containing water lilies and a water-spouting seal sculpture, surrounded by carefully placed columnar rocks. It was a very serene setting, complete with benches and appreciative visitors sitting and admiring the peacefulness of it.

The next two gardens on my must-see list were Vrtba and Wallenstein. These Italian-style Baroque gardens did not disappoint.

Vrtba Garden, built in the early 1700s, is a walled garden that was a visual delight with its clipped boxwood hedges laid out in pleasing patterns. As we climbed the elaborate stone staircases to higher terraces, those designs became more visible as did commanding views of this beautiful city.

The Wallenstein Gardens were created around 1700 and are located adjacent to the Czech Senate. We enjoyed the sumptuous water garden, bronze statues, tall hedges defining each area of the garden, and the unusual limestone grotto with grotesque features carved into it. Throughout the garden, the piercing calls of peacocks made us laugh and tended to bring us right back to reality.

The last series of gardens we ventured into are known collectively as the “Gardens Below Prague Castle” and were most definitely the highlight of our Prague explorations. Each was created during the 18th century.

For a modest admission charge, you get to explore five gardens that have four terraces each. Every level is unique – there were grapevines, fruit trees, plantings of flowers or herbs, or a small lawn. We never knew what to expect as we followed the winding stone staircases or wandered through hallways and what seemed to us like secret pathways. The views of Prague became more breathtaking the higher we went.

There are other hidden gardens in Mala Strana that we didn’t have time to visit. Now that I’m back home and have studied a map of the region more closely, I just might have to return to Prague and discover what I missed.

To view additional photos of these gardens, visit my blog at susansinthegarden. blogspot.com.