Vrtba Garden, French formal garden in Malá Strana, Prague, Czech Republic

Vrtba Garden is a Baroque terraced garden on the Petřín slope in Malá Strana, entered through a passage in the Vrtba Palace from Karmelitská Street. Its three levels rise southwest from the palace courtyard, with boxwood broderies set in gravel, a central pool facing the Sala Terrena and its matching former aviary, and a white palace facade with statues and dormer windows above.

The garden was designed in 1720 by architect František Maxmilián Kaňka for Count Jan Josef of Vrtba during the rebuilding of the adjacent Vrtba Palace. It emerged as part of broader transformations happening in the city at that time.

The garden's name comes from the Vrtba counts, who owned the palace until 1799. Sculptures by Matyáš Bernard Braun (1720–1725) stand on the balustrade, and the Sala Terrena linking palace and garden holds frescoes by Václav Vavřinec Reiner. Since 2000 a gallery in the garden hosts exhibitions, and the grounds are used for weddings and receptions.

The garden is entered from the base through a discreet gate in Karmelitská Street, reached via the passage of the Vrtba Palace. It is open only in the summer season, and admission is charged. The three terraced levels are linked by staircases, so the climb is gradual.

The garden's cramped site was already densely built over when it was laid out, so Kaňka used an irregular steep slope in the manner of Italian garden sites. The boxwood broderies are clipped into scrolling asymmetrical patterns set in gravel across three terraced levels.