The Garden On the Rampants

Some of the best views of Prague can be obtained from the South Gardens, the Garden on the Rampants, and the Paradise Garden, a series of beautiful green spaces flanking the southern side of Prague Castle. They are particularly beautiful in the spring, and provide a restful place to relax.

The South Gardens were created in the latter half of the nineteenth century.Two obelisks mark the alleged spot where the Czech governors were supposed to have fallen during the defenestration of Prague in 1618.

The Gardens are accessed from the Bull Staircase, close to the entrance to the Old Royal Palace. The staircase, which has decorative stonework and a copper canopy, is the work of Slovene architect Josip Plečnik. He was appointed by Czechoslovakia’s first president, Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, to carry out alterations Prague Castle in the 1920s. Plečnik also designed the huge granite bowl, standing on two blocks, which is located in the westernmost part of the gardens and known as the Paradise Garden (Rajská zahrada).

Plečnik also designed an observation point and added sculptures and other decorative elements to the South Gardens and the Garden on the Rampants, which also features a music pavilion, built in the 1720s.