Park U zahrádkářské kolonie

Park U zahrádkářské kolonie is a small, well-kept neighbourhood park in southern Prague, sitting right where the districts of Praha 4 (Kamýk), Praha 12 and Praha-Libuš meet. It stretches between the streets K Lesu and U Zahrádkářské kolonie and covers roughly 1.4 hectares.

Where exactly is the park?

The park sits on the administrative border of three Prague districts, which is why different sources place it in different neighbourhoods — some list it under Kamýk (Praha 4), others under Libuš or Praha 12. In practice it's a single green area jointly used by the surrounding local communities. Because it sits away from the usual sightseeing routes, it's mostly visited by people living nearby rather than tourists chasing landmarks.

What can visitors actually do there?

This is a park built for everyday use, not for views. Its paths are flat and paved, making it comfortable for pushing a stroller, cycling, riding a scooter, or getting around in a wheelchair — a level of accessibility not every Prague neighbourhood park offers. At its centre is a children's playground with wooden swings, a large slide, and wooden sculptures, the most eye-catching of which is a sizeable dragon. Right next to the playground stands a small open-air amphitheatre, occasionally used for local community events.

Is there anything educational in the park?

A short educational trail runs along the paths, focused on trees. Information panels next to selected specimens describe the species growing in the park and what makes each one distinctive. This kind of compact, walk-in-your-neighbourhood nature trail is typical of Prague parks renovated after 2010 — rather than a forest trail requiring a trip out of town, the city favours small educational routes reachable on foot from the surrounding housing blocks.

Where does the name come from, and how did the park come to be?

The name refers directly to the site's past: this used to be an allotment garden colony (in Czech, a "zahrádkářská kolonie"), which was gradually replaced by landscaped public greenery. The park's current shape is the result of a full-scale reconstruction, formally handed over to residents at the end of November 2012. The project was funded from three sources: the bulk from the European Regional Development Fund, with additional contributions from Prague's city budget and from the Praha-Libuš district itself. That funding mix — EU money topped up by city and district budgets — was a common path for revitalising small urban green spaces in Prague at the time.

One thing worth flagging: the name can be confusing, since Prague also has a separate, unrelated project for a brand-new park with a similar name on the site of a former allotment colony in Praha 9. That one is still at the planning stage and has nothing to do with this park.

Frequently asked questions

Is the park suitable for a walk with a young child? Yes — flat paths and a playground with swings and a slide make it a comfortable spot for a family walk or an afternoon outing.

Is there anything to see besides greenery? The main educational feature is a short tree trail with information panels, and children usually enjoy the wooden sculptures, including a large dragon.

How big is the park? About 1.4 hectares — a compact park you can walk end to end in fifteen to twenty minutes.

When was the park opened in its current form? After a full reconstruction, it was handed over to the public at the end of November 2012.