Park Portheimka

Park Portheimka is a small, quiet park in Prague's Smíchov district, laid out around a Baroque summer house that shares its name. It sits off the usual route toward Petřín or Prague Castle, which is exactly why it rewards a short detour — a walk through this former aristocratic garden shows a side of Prague's residential past that the main sightseeing loop skips entirely.

Where does the name come from and what stood here before

The land now occupied by the park belonged, in the first half of the 14th century, to a Carthusian monastery. After the monastery disappeared, the property passed into secular hands, and in 1722 it came to architect Kilián Ignác Dientzenhofer, who recognized the appeal of Smíchov's countryside of vineyards, gardens and noble estates. Over the following seven years he built a Baroque summer house on the site — the building known today as Portheimka, named after one of its later owners.

How the garden changed over time

Around the middle of the 18th century the original Baroque garden was enlarged and remodeled in the rococo style. Greenhouses for exotic plants were added at that point, along with a large orangery and a dedicated fig house — an unusually elaborate setup for what was, in essence, a private residence. The estate changed hands repeatedly over the following decades, and during the wartime occupation the property fell under the local Hitler Youth administration in Smíchov. After the war it passed into national administration, and from 1947 onward repair work restored much of its earlier character.

The park today

The real transformation came in 1992, when architect Tomáš Zetka led a reconstruction that renewed the paths and added new rows of trees. Since that year the garden has functioned as a public park open to residents and visitors alike. In 2006 an irrigation system was installed and new turf laid down, which keeps the greenery in good shape throughout the season. The site now belongs to the City of Prague, with day-to-day administration handled by the Prague 5 district.

The Portheimka summer house itself is no longer a private residence — it now houses an art gallery, with exhibitions displayed inside the Baroque building that gave the park its name. The combination of historic architecture and a well-kept garden makes it a spot locals return to for a quiet walk or a bench in the shade rather than a stop on a packed sightseeing itinerary.

Where exactly is it

The park lies in Prague 5, in the Smíchov district, close to that area's local center. Its coordinates are roughly 50.0737 N, 14.404 E, making it an easy walk or short tram ride from central Prague rather than a trip requiring travel outside the city.

Frequently asked questions

Is entry to the park free? The park itself, as public urban green space, is open and free to enter — any admission fee applies only to exhibitions inside the gallery housed in the summer house.

How long does a visit take? Given its modest size, walking through the park usually takes somewhere between fifteen and thirty minutes, not counting a possible stop inside the gallery.

How does Portheimka compare to Prague's other palace gardens? Unlike large-scale grounds such as the Wallenstein Garden, Portheimka is a small, neighborhood-scale attraction — more a place where Smíchov residents spend their everyday free time than a headline tourist stop.

Can visitors go inside the summer house? Yes, the building now operates as an art gallery and is open to the public as part of its exhibition program.