overview opening hours admission about the place Discover this beautiful spot that combines history, architecture and horticultural elegance hidden away just a short walk from the bustle of Hradčanské náměstí and the iconic Loreta. Work began on the construction of the garden adjacent to the Černín Palace in 1693 following plans drawn up by architect Francesco Caratti in keeping with the principles of Baroque symmetry. After some dark and troubled years, when it was damaged by Prussian troops during the siege of Prague and then again in the 19th century when the complex was converted into barracks, it was given a new lease of life in the 1930s by architects Pavel Janák and Otokar Fierlinger. They laid out a French-style garden with a pool and fountain between the palace and the summer house, with yews trimmed into domes and spheres, offering a place to relax. The second part of the garden was inspired by English landscape parks. more about the place opening hours may—october mon—fri closed sat—sun 10:00—17:00 more about opening hours admission free more about admission admission free opening hours may—october mon—fri closed sat—sun 10:00—17:00 • The only way into the garden is through a separate entrance opposite the Loreta. • Photography and filming for non-commercial purposes are permitted. • Admission is free of charge • Dogs are not allowed into the garden. history Construction of the monumental Czernin Palace was begun in 1669 by the diplomat Count Humprecht Johann Czernin of Chudenice. Both the palace and garden were designed by the Italian architect Francesco Caratti. What the garden lacked in proportions was more than made up for by the ingenuity of his design, based on the principles of Baroque symmetry. In the years 1693—1694 a large pool was constructed in the courtyard along with a reservoir, allowing for a fountain to be installed in one of the garden pools. The garden was completed in 1723 under the guidance of the architects Domenico Egidio Rossi and František Maxmilián Kaňka, who created a water cascade on the main axis of the garden. Wars and Reconstructions The garden was heavily damaged as a result of war in 1741. The restoration of the garden, including the building of a new pavilion or gazebo, was carried out in the Late Baroque style by Anselmo Lurago in the mid-18th century. The gazebo served as an orangerie, and was decorated with busts from the workshop of Matthias Bernard Braun. A statue of Hercules and the Hydra by František Ignác Platzer was installed on the garden façade of the palace in 1746. During the 1757 Prussian siege of Prague, the garden was ransacked and had to be restored a second time. After 1777, the Czernin Palace was no longer occupied on a permanent basis. The Czernin family relocated to Vienna, and began renting out part of the palace, including the garden. In 1796v1819, the palace was home to the picture gallery of the Society of Patriotic Friends of the Arts, predecessor of today’s National Gallery. But it also housed at various times a poorhouse, a manufacturer of cards, and even a hops warehouse. Military Barracks In 1851, Eugen Czernin sold the palace and its garden to the Prague Division of the Military Engineering Directorate of the Austro-Hungarian Army. In 1855—1856, the premises were rebuilt as a military barracks. The effects of this proved disastrous for both the palace and the garden, with the latter covered by a meter-high layer of soil and rubble from the construction site and converted to a stable yard. Stables were erected to house about 150 horses. Barns were also built around the gazebo, which was used as a warehouse and smithy. Seat of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs After the establishment of Czechoslovakia in 1918, a decision was made to allocate the Czernin Palace to serve as the Foreign Ministry of the new republic. The building was accordingly purchased by the state, and in the years 1928—1934 both the palace and grounds were renovated under the supervision of the eminent Czech Modernist architect Pavel Janák. The garden was re-designed by architect Otokar Fierlinger, who divided it into two sections. In the area between the palace and the Baroque gazebo, his design followed the 18th century layout, rendered as a symmetrical French formal garden with a pond and a fountain. The ornamental arrangement of this section is defined by the planting of a carefully selected arrangement of trees clipped into various shapes, particularly yew trees cut into the forms of cones and spheres. Fierlinger also connected the terrace in front of the loggias to an extended promenade leading to a resting place at a semi-circular recess in the wall containing a small basin with a grotesque gargoyle. The design of the remainder of the garden adjacent to Pavel Janák’s Modernist administrative annex to the palace was inspired by English landscape parks. On October 28, 1934, the reconstructed Czernin Palace and garden were ceremonially handed over to the Ministry. In 1958 the Czernin Palace garden was listed as a national heritage site. Recent Reconstruction The principles of the garden layout established by Fierlinger’s renovation were observed also during the major reconstruction carried out by architect Pavel Kupka in 1994—1997. A historical border stone from the Czech-Bavarian border was placed in the space between the two parts of the garden, as a commemoration of the reopening of the country’s borders after the 1989 Velvet Revolution. During the renovation carried out in 2007—2008, the plants underwent a thorough rejuvenation and the façade of the gazebo was painted in its current colour scheme. Copyright: MZV ČR, 2024