Valdštejnská zahrada, Baroque garden in Malá Strana, Prague, Czech Republic.
Valdštejnská zahrada is a formal Baroque garden in Malá Strana, Prague, laid out in geometric beds of clipped hedges along gravel paths. Bronze statues stand on stone pedestals, and the sala terrena, a three-arched loggia with a red tiled roof, closes the eastern side; a pond with an artificial island lies at the opposite end.
A powerful military commander created this garden in the 1620s, requiring the demolition of many houses and smaller green spaces on the site. The garden was built as part of a larger complex intended to display the owner's power and wealth.
The space is named after a powerful military leader and serves today as a venue for concerts and theater performances. Visitors can see classical frescoes in the Sala Terrena depicting scenes from ancient stories.
The garden is freely accessible from 1 April to 31 October, from 7 am to 7 pm, and on weekends and holidays from 9 am to 7 pm. It lies in Malá Strana within the Valdštejn Palace complex, the seat of the Senate, so expect security checks at the palace entrances. Gravel paths run between the clipped hedges.
The bronze statues along the path are copies made in 1910–1913 at the Herman Bergman foundry in Stockholm; Swedish troops took the originals by Adriaen de Vries in 1648, and they now stand at Drottningholm. The garden also keeps two pairs of owls in its aviary and peacocks that walk freely.
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