The story
Stop for a moment here at Karmelitská 25. To the casual passerby, this is just another unassuming gate in the busy Malá Strana district, perhaps a doorway to an ordinary apartment block or a quiet courtyard. But you are about to step through a portal that defies the modest expectations of its exterior.
Welcome to the Vrtba Garden, a place often described as one of the most beautiful Baroque gardens north of the Alps, hidden in plain sight since the early 18th century. As you walk through the entrance and into the initial courtyard, the noise of the Prague trams begins to fade, replaced by a profound, sculpted silence. This garden was commissioned by Count Jan Josef of Vrtba around 1715.
He hired the finest creative minds of the era: the architect František Maxmilián Kaňka and the legendary sculptor Matthias Bernard Braun. Together, they performed an architectural miracle, carving a high-society sanctuary out of a steep, irregular slope on the side of Petřín Hill. Directly ahead of you is the Sala Terrena, a grand garden room that bridges the gap between the palace and the greenery.
Step inside and look up; those frescoes of Venus and Adonis were painted by Václav Vavřinec Reiner. They set the tone for what lies ahead: a celebration of mythology, beauty, and the triumph of art over nature. Now, begin your ascent.
The garden is designed as a series of three cascading terraces, each linked by elegant staircases. Notice the precision of the boxwood hedges, clipped into swirling, geometric patterns that look like green lace draped over the earth. As you reach the middle level, you’ll encounter Braun’s masterpieces—stone statues of ancient Roman deities that seem to watch your progress with a frozen, theatrical grace.
But keep climbing. The true secret of Vrtba is revealed only at the very top. As you reach the final, smallest terrace, you emerge onto a stone balcony that feels like a private box in a grand theater.
From here, the garden drops away beneath you, and the city of Prague opens up in a breathtaking panorama. You are standing eye-to-eye with the massive green dome of St. Nicholas Church, while the spires of Prague Castle rise majestically to your right.
Below, a sea of terracotta rooftops stretches toward the Vltava River. It is a view that remains one of the city's best-kept secrets, a reward for those who know to look behind the plainest of doorways. Take a breath, lean against the warm stone, and enjoy the quiet majesty of a Baroque dream realized.