Botanická zahrada SZŠ Rakovník

The Botanical Garden of the Secondary Agricultural School in Rakovník is a compact but surprisingly diverse green pocket right in the middle of town, sitting between the railway station and the banks of the Rakovnický stream. Part classroom, part public park, it has quietly grown over the decades from a patch of wasteland into one of the region's more interesting botanical collections.

How did the garden come to be?

The story starts in 1963, when Václav Pelikán, a teacher and deputy headmaster at the local agricultural school, took on the task of transforming a neglected plot — formerly a field, small allotment gardens, and even a dumping ground — into an organized botanical space. Over the following decades the site was steadily expanded and cultivated, eventually growing into the roughly 1.5-hectare garden that visitors can walk through today.

What is there to see?

The collection holds around two thousand plant species, an impressive figure for a garden run by a secondary school rather than a dedicated research institute. The grounds are divided into several distinct sections: a systematic botanical area where plants are arranged by taxonomic relationship, a park-like section with ornamental trees and shrubs, and practical cultivation plots — orchards, vegetable beds, and flower borders. One especially notable feature is the garden's collection of dragon arum plants, striking for their unusual flower spikes and rarely seen in a garden of this modest size.

Who runs it, and why does it exist?

From the outset, the garden has served primarily an educational role. It belongs to the Secondary Agricultural School in Rakovník and functions as a hands-on teaching resource for students studying botany, horticulture, and agriculture. The garden is also a member of the Union of Botanical Gardens of the Czech Republic, which places it within the country's network of formally recognized, catalogued plant collections rather than leaving it as merely a local curiosity.

When is the best time to visit?

The garden is open to visitors seasonally, from March through November, daily between 8:00 and 15:30. That window roughly matches the growing season, so a visit works well at almost any point during it — spring brings flowering perennials and fruit trees, summer shows the systematic collection at its fullest, and autumn adds the colors of changing foliage along with the last of the harvest in the cultivated plots.

Frequently asked questions

How do you get to the garden? It sits right next to Rakovník's railway station, just a short walk from the platform. Arriving by car is also straightforward.

Is there an entrance fee? The garden operates as part of a school, so admission details — including any fees — can depend on the school's schedule. It's worth checking current conditions shortly before visiting.

What shouldn't visitors miss? Anyone curious about unusual plants should look for the dragon arum collection, one of the features that sets this garden apart from similar institutions in the region.

Is it suitable for families with children? Yes. The modest size and well-organized paths make it an easy walk even with young children, and the variety of plants offers a natural, low-pressure introduction to botany.