Petřínské sady, Historical gardens in Malá Strana, Czech Republic

Petřínské sady is the collective name for two adjoining gardens on the northeast slope of Petřín Hill: the Seminary Garden and the Nebozízek Garden. A funicular from 1891 runs through the grounds, with a stop at the Nebozízek restaurant. The lower part is laid out geometrically, while the upper sections above the viewing path, which passes sandstone rocks, are wooded. The Seminary Garden holds fruit trees, the Chapel of the Infant Jesus with a bell-shaped roof, and a former classical refectory later used as an inn.

The area began as vineyards before the gardens took their present form in later centuries. In the 14th century, Emperor Charles IV had the Hunger Wall built, a major fortification that runs through this landscape.

The lower part of the gardens, the Seminářská zahrada, was taken over by the Archbishop's Seminary in 1793 and replanted with fruit trees during its 1912–1914 restoration. The Nebozízek garden, formerly vineyards and an orchard, was opened to the public in 1842 and redesigned as an English park by František Josef Thomayer between 1891 and 1895. After the city bought the Seminary Garden, the dividing walls were demolished and the two gardens were joined.

You can reach different sections of the gardens through a network of pathways or use the funicular railway for a quick ride up to the higher areas. The terrain is relatively easy to navigate, with various entrances and exits depending on which part you want to explore.

The gardens are a protected cultural monument comprising two former separate gardens, Seminářská and Nebozízek, once divided by a wall roughly along today's funicular line. The Nebozízek garden opened to the public in 1842 and was redesigned as an English park by František Josef Thomayer between 1891 and 1895.