Karlachovy sady, Urban park in Vyšehrad district, Czech Republic
Karlachovy sady is a compact green space in the Vyšehrad district with sandy pathways bordered by hawthorn hedges and mixed tree varieties. The site sits at an elevated position and provides benches for visitors to rest and enjoy the surroundings.
The Vyšehrad chapter founded the park in 1889 on former small fields; Provost Mikuláš Karlach initiated its creation, and it was laid out with regularly arranged paths in 1890–1891. A hawthorn hedge reportedly enclosed it, and it remained closed to the public. After the chapter lost the park in 1948, a redesign plan from 1950 was carried out in 1954, when the gardens opened to visitors.
The park's name, used since 1911, honours Provost Mikuláš Karlach, who initiated its creation. In the centre stands a stone statue of St. John of Nepomuk, and near it a neo-Gothic chapel-shaped well, mentioned in 1905 by Popelka Biliánová in her Vyšehrad legends. A life-sized statue of Karlach by sculptor Pavel Malovaný was placed in the north-eastern corner in 2003.
The park welcomes visitors year-round and is easily accessible from the surrounding neighborhood. Wear comfortable shoes as the sandy pathways and elevated terrain require steady footing.
The "Millennium Pear" planted in 2000 near the neo-Gothic well is a graft of a memorial pear tree from Bělá u Turnova. The well itself was mentioned in 1905 by Popelka Biliánová in her Pověsti vyšehradské. The southwest corner holds the Devil's Column, three granodiorite pieces set as a tripod, moved here in 1894 from the neighbouring cemetery, where they had stood since 1787.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 93,679 contributors worldwide.