Kateřinská zahrada

Kateřinská zahrada is a small historic park in Prague's New Town, tucked behind the walls of a former Augustinian convent on Ke Karlovu street. Unlike Prague's grand palace gardens, this one has a quiet, almost hidden character — many visitors pass nearby without realising that one of the oldest green spots in this part of the city sits just behind the gate.

Where does this convent garden come from?

The ground the park now occupies belonged, from the Middle Ages onward, to a convent of shod Augustinian nuns built next to the Church of St. Catherine between 1355 and 1367. The convent buildings were burned down by the Hussites in 1420, and the site wasn't rebuilt into its present three-wing form until 1718–1730, in the Baroque style. At that point the convent garden was also laid out anew in a cross-shaped pattern typical of monastic gardens of the period — before that, it had served the nuns mainly as a vegetable and flower plot.

How has the park changed since the convent era?

In the 19th century, the former convent garden was reshaped in the style of an English landscape park, with winding paths and mature trees that are still there today. The park is small, covering just under 3 hectares, and sits at an altitude of 225–232 metres, reflecting the gently uneven ground of this part of the New Town, close to Karlov hill.

What's inside the former convent today?

The convent buildings now house a psychiatric hospital. It was here, in 1884, that Bedřich Smetana, one of the most important Czech composers and the author of the symphonic cycle "Má vlast," died. Because of this history and the architectural value of the whole complex, the church, convent, and garden have been protected as cultural monuments since 1958.

Who is this park worth visiting for?

Kateřinská zahrada is a good pick for anyone looking for a quiet moment away from Prague's crowded tourist routes. The park doesn't offer monuments or museums of its own — its appeal lies in the greenery, the mature trees, and the historical context of the site. It's also an interesting stop for anyone interested in the history of medicine or in Smetana's biography, since it sits right next to the place tied to the final years of his life.

How do you get to Kateřinská zahrada?

The park is on Ke Karlovu street in Prague's New Town, close to Karlov hill and its church. It's roughly a fifteen-to-twenty-minute walk from the Old Town centre, and the surrounding area borders the hospital complex as well as the quiet residential streets typical of this part of the city.

Frequently asked questions

Is Kateřinská zahrada open to the public? Yes, the park is publicly accessible, even though it sits within the grounds of a former convent complex now occupied by a hospital.

How big is the park? It covers just under 3 hectares, at an altitude of 225–232 metres.

What's the park's connection to Bedřich Smetana? The composer died in 1884 in the former convent building next to the garden, which today functions as a psychiatric hospital.

Are there any architectural monuments nearby? The park borders the Church of St. Catherine and the former Augustinian convent, protected as a cultural monument since 1958, though the convent buildings themselves aren't open to visitors.

Does the park's history go back further than the current convent buildings? Yes — the original buildings went up between 1355 and 1367, were destroyed in 1420, and the convent and garden's current form dates from the Baroque rebuilding of 1718–1730.