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Wandering through Wallenstein Palace Garden Prague

Prague is full of hidden alleys and charming walkways. We were in the Malá Strana or Lesser Quarter area strolling and came across a wall with an unmarked door and saw a a couple of other tourists walking in. Being the nosy tourists that we are, we entered and got more than we bargained for. Hidden behind the high walls, among a variety of buildings, we found a palace garden with fountains, statues and other unique features.

Wallenstein Palace Garden fountain

The Wallenstein Palace (Valdštejnský palác) was a Baroque palace that is now the seat of the Czech Republic’s Senate. The palace is closed during the weekdays so we didn’t get the chance to see it. Wallenstein Garden (Valdstejnska zahrada) was one of Prague’s first palace gardens. The gardens and palace were built between 1623 and 1630 in an early Baroque style with many Italian influences.

Wallenstein Palace Gardens

The palace was originally constructed by General Albrecht Vaclav Eusebius of Wallenstein, who was a rich Czech nobleman. This was meant to be his Prague residence. The palace became state property after World War II and converted into some of the fanciest government offices around.

Wallenstein Palace Garden

As soon as we entered the garden we were struck with its peacefulness, beauty and lack of crowds. It was hard to find any place not overrun with people during our summertime visit to Prague. My kids were just excited to see a large patch of greenery and wide open spaces to explore and run around.

Wallenstein palace garden with kids

We were greeted with one of the resident peacocks here. There were a few of them roaming around. After reading more about this garden, there were supposed to be a couple of albino peacocks here too. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see them. There was also a fish pond with a small islet and statue of Hercules in the middle where kids can feed ducks.

Wallenstein peacock

One part of the garden was a collection of bronze statues representing Greek mythological scenes and figures. These statues were actually replicas of Dutch sculptor, Adrian de Vries’ work and were brought here in the early 1900s. The original statues were stolen by the Swedish army in 1648 as “war booty” during the Thirty Years War. The originals can be seen in Drootningholm Palace’s garden in Sweden.

Wallenstein Palace Garden Statues
The well-manicured hedges and lawns were in the shadows of St. Vitus Cathedral and Prague Castle along with the red roofs and spires the city is known for. It was such a delight to sit on one of the benches and look up to see these buildings looming over us.

Prague Castle from below

The centerpiece here is the garden pavilion or Sala Terrana. This three-arcade building was being renovated during our visit. As we walked closer, we saw the beautiful frescoes that adorned its ceiling and walls behind some netting.

Wallenstein Sala Terrana

This was built in 1627 and has been maintained well. The frescoes were supposed to depict scenes from the Trojan War.

Sala Terrena close-up

Sala Terrana was a popular venue for concerts and theater performances. I can just imagine how wonderful it would have been to attend a performance here.

Wallenstein Sala Terrena
The many benches here made it an ideal place to relax, sit or read. Even with the nearby tram lines and neighboring roads, it was quiet and calm which added to our enjoyment.

Wallenstein Palace Gardens
As my kids ran around, they were excited to find a unique and interesting wall called The Grotto or Dripstone Wall.

Wallenstein Palace Garden Dripstone Wall

This gray wall was supposed to represent artificial stalactites found in a limestone cave. It was such a contrast to the rest of the garden and we’ve never seen anything quite like it.

Wallenstein dripstone wall
The sign indicated that there were images of grotesquely formed faces and animals hidden in the wall’s recesses. I’m not sure what this wall’s purpose was other than to entertain the visitors. My kids desperately looked but we couldn’t find any images. Can you see any images?

Wallenstein Palace Gardens Dripstone Wall
We heard strange hoots nearby and found an aviary next to the wall with some owls perched high on their cages. There weren’t that many of them but enough to entertain the kids as they tried to get the owls’ attention.

Wallenstein Palace Gardens aviary
The garden was a lovely and peaceful retreat in the center of the city. It is the ideal place to rest and relax during sightseeing and escape Prague’s crowds even for just a few moments. If you’re in the area, don’t miss a stop here. We really enjoyed our long, leisurely stroll through this garden despite finding it by accident. So, the next time you’re visiting Prague or even any city, don’t hesitate to open inconspicuous doors. You never know what surprises are in store for you.

 Wallenstein palace gardens

Tips for Visiting Wallenstein Palace Garden

  • The garden is open to the public daily from April to October.
  • Wallenstein Palace and its state rooms are open to visitors for free during the weekends.
  • Concerts held in Sala Terrena during the spring and summer are mostly free.
  • The garden is located behind the Malostranská Metro station.  Exit the station to your left after going up the escalators and turn immediately to your right. Two other entrances are from the first courtyard of Wallenstein Palace at Valdštejnské náměstí 17and halfway down Letenska street. This was a busy tram street and where we found the small door on the large wall.

Prague Mala Strana Letenska street

Have you been to this garden? What accidental discoveries have you made in your travels?

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Wallenstein Palace Garden Prague

42 thoughts on “Wandering through Wallenstein Palace Garden Prague”

  1. How did I miss this beautiful palace? We stayed in the Mala Strana, and I didn’t even know it existed.
    Our favourite place in Prague for active kids was Petrin Hill – lots of room to explore, and to run around.

  2. I love gardens – and even more so when I’m in a big city. That wall of fake stalactites is unusual to put it mildly. What a treat for your kids to be able to release some energy and it looks like one of the few days where the weather totally cooperated for you.

  3. Oh I love those formal gardens that you find in Europe and this one is absolutely wonderful – lucky you to have stepped through the doorway and made such a find. (I love the way your wee ones are always such willing subjects!)

  4. What a beautiful day you had for touring the gardens. I love the 7th photo. The layers of red roofs topped by the copper tower is beautiful. The dripstone wall is weird and wonderful. There were not many people there on the day. :)

    1. Thanks Jan! I think many people find this garden by accident like we did. We liked having not so many people there and made the garden much more enjoyable. Prague has such a beautiful cityscape.

  5. I was there last winter, but the place didn’t look as stunning as it looks right now. I definitely need to go there in summer and enjoy the beautiful scenery and weather!

  6. Wow, it is absolutely beautiful, Mary! Do you guys ever wander off in thought trying to picture what life was like back in the day at these amazing places you visit? That’s what I did here. I know I say that a lot in my Comments but it’s true. I better not wake up in the middle of the night from bad dreams of that Dripstone Wall! Ha, ha! Loved the post, our friend :)

  7. Excellent photos … the garden is beautifully landscaped and just love the houses many statues that date back centuries.Seems like a beautiful and peaceful place to retreat.

  8. I also love formal gardens, but the Dripstone Wall would have been the main thing to capture my attention here. Particularly spooky and thought provokinh!

  9. The garden looks beautiful, although that one wall is a big strange… I didn’t see any faces or animals. I would like to be able to visit the garden when I head to Prague. Thanks for sharing!

  10. If being a nosey tourist means finding places like this then I need to start being a nosier tourist! The more I read things about Prague the more I find out how much I missed when I was there so it really deserves another visit. I absolutely love the Dripstone Wall, it appeals to my taste for all things morbid :D (that’s why a certain church near Prague hasn’t been forgotten Mary… :))

  11. Hi Mary, thanks for taking me back to this magnificent garden. I loved the diverse features of this garden. I also loved its tranquility. Truly a wonderful escape from the bustling streets of Mala Strana. Keith and I had a relaxing time here after walking around a lot. Keith had a good nap on one of the benches, too. I’m glad you stumbled into it and enjoyed it as well. Love the photos.

  12. Glad you were a nosy tourist here, Mary. This is a wonderful find.
    Can you imagine the first day people showed up to work in this spectacular environment? I bet no work got done and then after, people would think of every reason to work late.

  13. Looks like another reason I have to visit Prague. It’s been at the top of my list for a long time–I’ve just been busy with the other side of the world instead.

  14. How cool! A secret garden come to life. I’ve never heard of this place and will have to keep it in mind. That Dripstone Wall looks eerie. You can’t make out any faces, but it definitely has a creepy quality to it.

  15. Well you know I love a good garden, and that gray wall was quite a discovery. It reminds me a little of the stone wall in the Forbidden City, but is definitely crazier. This is definitely going on my list for when we visit Prague… one of these days ;-)

  16. My problem with visiting places like Wallenstein is that I get home and decide that’s what I want my yard to look like. I would love to recreate this look with the perfectly trimmed and laid out hedges and statues. Alas, I do not have nearly the amount of acreage as this palace garden. It looks like both a beautiful and peaceful break… except for that stalactite wall which is a little out of place. My son has been reading the Iliad, so he now knows all about the Trojan War — probably more than what I remember.

  17. Wallenstein Palace Garden looks beautiful. Don’t you just love when you stumble across something like that?! Looks like really peaceful place. And what a lovely views over the church in the back.

  18. We must have walked right past this and had no idea what was there. What a gem of a discovery. No, I don’t see any animal images, but when I get back to Prague, I’ll take a closer look.

  19. I’m sure I remember reading this when you published it months ago but I don’t appear to have commented on it! I lived in Prague as a kid and remember going to these gardens often. They are well hidden and peaceful. I went back with my husband in 2001 and was pleased to see they hadn’t changed. Now more than 12 years on again it’s good to visit them with you.

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