Royal Garden of Prague Castle, Renaissance garden in Hradčany, Prague, Czech Republic

The Royal Garden covers 3.6 hectares on the northern ridge at Hradčany, separated from Prague Castle by the Stag Moat. It is divided into sections reworked over centuries: Queen Anne's Summer Palace at the eastern end, the Ball Game Hall in the middle, and the orangery, fig house and Giardinetto with the Singing Fountain.

Ferdinand I founded the garden in 1534 on land he bought from medieval vineyards, and Giovanni Spazio directed the Italian Renaissance design. The foundation stone of Queen Anne's Summer Palace was laid in 1538 and the garden was later walled. In the 18th century Kilian Ignaz Dientzenhofer and Matthias Bernhard Braun reshaped it in Baroque style, and in the mid-19th century it became an English landscape garden.

The garden's name comes from its royal founders, and its layout still shows courtly pastimes: the Míčovna hall was built for ball games, the Lví dvůr housed Rudolf II's lions until 1740, and the Zpívající fontána's copper bowl makes melodic sounds as water falls into it. The Summer Palace, often wrongly called Belvedere, now serves as an occasional gallery.

The garden is open only during the day and only from March to October; it is closed entirely in winter. Enter through the western gates on U Prašného mostu street or the northern gate at Queen Anne's Summer Palace, and expect a security check as part of the castle area. The grounds are largely flat with gravel paths, and there are few benches.

The Singing Fountain in the Giardinetto was cast by bell-founder Tomáš Jaroš from a design by Italian artist Francesco Terzo. Water falling into its copper basin produces a melodic sound, which gave the fountain its name.