Orangery, Greenhouse in Royal Garden of Prague Castle, Czechia.
The New Orangery is a 90-metre half-cylinder greenhouse divided into three sections, built 1999–2001 to Eva Jiřičná's design. An external network of steel tubes supports the glass shell, keeping the interior free of columns. The structure incorporates the remnant of the original Renaissance wall, a Plečnik fountain and the Rothmayer fountain.
The first orangery was built in the early 1560s to a design by Bonifác Wolmut, with stone walls carrying a removable roof; it was destroyed during the Thirty Years' War by Saxon and Swedish troops. A 1950s greenhouse replaced it and was already in poor condition under President Václav Havel. The new Orangery, initiated by Olga Havlová and partly funded by Canadian patron Jennifer Allen Simmons, was built in 1999–2001.
The greenhouse keeps the site's growing function: plants cultivated here decorate the representative rooms of Prague Castle. The 1999–2001 building by Eva Jiřičná was initiated by Olga Havlová, wife of President Václav Havel, who did not live to see construction begin; Canadian patron Jennifer Allen Simmons of The Simons Foundation helped finance it.
The 90-metre greenhouse is divided into three sections, with the pipe framework and glazing kept outside so the interior stays open. A computer controls the shading blinds, ventilation, watering and lighting. The remains of the original Renaissance wall, Plečnik's fountain and Rothmayer's small fountain are built into the structure.
The structure sits at the edge of the Deer Moat beside the Ball Game Hall, creating a visible connection between medieval structures and contemporary architecture. This direct proximity to a Renaissance sports building makes the contrast between different periods of the castle particularly striking.
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