Royal Garden

Prague


A gate on the northern side of Prague Castle leads to the Powder Bridge (Prašný most; 1540), which spans the Stag Moat and leads to the Royal Garden, which started life as a Renaissance garden built by Ferdinand I in 1534. It is graced by several gorgeous Renaissance structures.

The most beautiful of the garden’s buildings is the 1569 Ball-Game House, a masterpiece of Renaissance sgraffito where the Habsburgs once played a primitive version of badminton. To the east is the Summer Palace, or Belvedere (1538–60), the most authentic Italian Renaissance building outside Italy, while to the west is the former Riding School (1695). All three are used as occasional venues for temporary exhibitions on various subjects.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Prague attractions

1. Ball-Game House

0.06 MILES

The most beautiful of the Royal Garden’s buildings is the Ball-Game House, a masterpiece of Renaissance sgraffito built in 1569, where the Habsburgs once…

2. Riding School

0.11 MILES

The castle's former horse-riding school is used as a venue for temporary exhibitions on various subjects, from architectural history to modern art.

3. Falconer's House

0.11 MILES

For those with a particular interest in falconry, the latest exhibition to open at Prague Castle is a 17th-century falconer's house located near the…

4. Powder Tower

0.12 MILES

A passage to the north of St Vitus Cathedral leads to the Powder Tower, also called Mihulka, which was built in the 15th century as part of the castle’s…

5. Prague Castle

0.15 MILES

Prague’s most popular attraction. Looming above the Vltava's left bank, its serried ranks of spires, towers and palaces dominate the city centre like a…

6. St Vitus Cathedral

0.15 MILES

Built over a time span of almost 600 years, St Vitus is one of the most richly endowed cathedrals in central Europe. It is pivotal to the religious and…

7. Basilica of St George

0.16 MILES

The striking, brick-red, early baroque facade that dominates St George Square conceals the Czech Republic’s best-preserved Romanesque church, established…

8. Story of Prague Castle

0.17 MILES

Housed in the Gothic vaults beneath the Old Royal Palace, this huge and impressive collection of artefacts ranks alongside the Lobkowicz Palace as one of…