Nové Hrady - Palace Garden

Trail "People and their Landscape"

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Zamecky Park 1Parks and gardens used to have the role of unwritten guidebooks on nobility and their estates. This is also the case in Nove Hrady. Already in the times of duke Wilhelm of Rozmberk, a large area between the bifurcation of the roads to Trebon and Nakolice was used as palace garden, extending onto the town square.

As part of the reconstruction of the park in 1715 – 1720, a 500-yard long lime tree alley was made. On several spots, over-life-size statues of women figures were places, representing the goddesses Flora, Ceres, and others. In addition, there were small stone pyramids, fountains, and several arbors.

 Zamecky park 2     Zamecky park 3

The end of the 18th century saw further changes. These were made partly to save costs, but also to make the park more idyllic through a restructuring into the English Style. In that period, the park also housed a small “Scottish Village” mimicry including a “ginger-bread cottage” and a hermitage. Both surely were inspired by the then-popular penchant for out-door jollity and mimicking of rural village life. That this trend had reach Nove Hrady also shows from entries dated 1794 in the diary of  Pauline of Schwarzenberg.

The 19th century also saw several changes; the 20th century on the other hand virtually did not see any innovative improvements of the chateau gardens.  On the contrary, it came to the destruction of the Scottish Village and several of the fountains and Parterres. A large impact came also from the reconstruction of the greenhouse in a gymnastics hall. Only over the last few years, conservation activities are trying to restore some of the park’s former luster.

 

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