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The
Royal
Gardens
are
historically
the
most
valuable
of
all
the
castle
gardens.
Founded
in
1534
by
Ferdinand
I.
Habsburg,
they
were
inspired
by
Italian
designs;
the
current
form
of
the
garden,
however,
follows
the
English
adaptation
of
the
19th
century.
One
of
its
greatest
treasures
is
the
Singing
Fountain,
one
of
the
most
beautiful
fountains
in
Renaissance
Europe.
The
southern
gardens
(Paradise,
Ramparts
and
Hartig
Gardens)
spreading
along
the
southern
facade
of
the
Prague
Castle
offer
striking
views
of
the
Lesser
Quarter,
Old
Town
and
nearby
Petřín.
The Royal
Garden (Královská
zahrada)
is
an Italian
Renaissance
garden,
situated
in Prague
Castle,
and
created
around 1540
based
on
the
project
by
Emperor Ferdinand
I
of
Habsburg.
Its
site
was
originally
a
vineyard
that
Emperor Ferdinand
I purchased
to
create
a
garden
for
the
royal
court.
The
main
entrance
to
the
garden
is
from
the
U Prašného
mostu
Street,
approximately
opposite
the
Prague
Castle
Riding
School
(Jízdárna
Pražského
hradu).
It
spreads
on
a surface
of
3.6
hectares
between
the
Deer
Moat
(Jelení
příkop)
and
the
Mariánské
hradby
Street.
You
can
walk
through
the
garden
all
the
way
to
Queen
Anna’s
Summer
House
(Letohrádek
královny
Anny).
The
garden
was
established
by
Ferdinand
I of
Habsburg
in
1534
in
place
of
several
original
vineyards.
The
original
garden
made
in
style
of
Italian
garden
architecture
was
established
under
the
leadership
of
Giovanni
Spatio,
who
also
initiated
the
building
of
the
summer
house
and
the
stone
enclosure
wall.
The
garden
was
connected
with
the
castle
via
a bridge
over
a trench.
Over
time,
the
royal
summer
house
was
completed,
with
a fountain,
in
1581
-
1583
a menagerie
was
established
-
The
Lions’
or
the
Bear’s
Yard,
by
architect
Oldřich
Aostalis;
transformed
into
a luxury
wine
cellar
and
a restaurant
in
1970
by
architect
Josef
Hlavatý.
The
Ball
Game
Hall
(Míčovna)
was
completed
in
1569;
the
fig
tree
conservatory
was
built
under
the
summer
house
in
1590,
and
orange
conservatory
was
built
in
1601.
The
original
geometric
Renaissance
layout
was
preserved
until
the
beginning
of
the
18th century.
Rare
trees
and
bushes
were
planted
here;
chestnut
trees
were
grown
here,
as
well
as
the
first
tulips
in
Europe,
a gift
of
the
Turkish
sultan.
From
here
they
spread
into
the
Netherlands.
The
garden
also
served
the
purpose
of
a utility
garden.
During
the
18th century,
the
garden
was
modified
in
Baroque
style
by
the
gardener
František
Zinner
Jr.
in
cooperation
with
Kilián
Ignác
Dienztenhofer
and
Matyáš
Braun,
who
decorated
the
garden
by
different
decorative
sculptures:
little
angels
playing
with
lions,
vases
and
Braun’s
sculptural
group
named
Night
from
1734
in
front
of
the
Ball
Game
Hall.
The
sculptural
group
named
Night
used
to
have
its
opposite
named
Day,
which
was
destroyed
in
Prussian
siege
in
1757.
In
the
garden,
there
is
the presidential
residence(called
Cottage
-
Domeček).
It
consists
of
a preserved
bricked
middle
part
of
a Baroque
greenhouse
(built
by
K.
I.
Dientzenhofer
in
1731).
Upon
a suggestion
of
president
E.
Beneš,
two
side
wings
were
added
to
the
Baroque
greenhouse
according
to
a project
of
Pavel
Janák
in
the
years
1937
-
38.
All
the
presidents
lived
here
between
the
years
1938
and
1989.
There
is
an
alley
stretching
through
the
centre
of
the
garden
with
a Baroque
niche
in
the
end,
where
there
is
a fountain
with
a statue
of
Hercules,
made
by
Jan
Jiří
Bendl.
There
are
rare
coniferous
trees
growing
here,
as
well
as
evergreen
broad-leaved
trees,
and
alleys
of
linden
trees,
hornbeams
and
horse
chestnuts,
beech
trees,
sycamores,
maples,
etc.
and
azaleas,
rhododendrons,
guelder-roses,
tree
peonies,
and
many
others.
There
is
a giardinetto
in
front
of
the
Royal
Summer
House,
which
is
a decorative
small
garden
modified
by
architect
Pavel
Janák
in
Renaissance
style
according
to
the
model
of
Dutch
architect
Vreedeman
de
Vries
from
the
2nd half
of
the
16thcentury.
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