Rajská zahrada

Rajská zahrada ("Garden of Paradise") is a small park in Prague's Žižkov district, tucked between Riegrovy sady to the south and Winston Churchill Square to the north. Today it's a quiet spot for rest, sport and recreation for Prague 3 residents — though two centuries ago this same ground was covered in vineyards.

Where does the name come from, and what's the oldest part of its story?

Vineyards already covered this slope back in the 14th century, during the reign of Charles IV, and the land's connection to cultivated greenery has never really broken since. In 1876 a garden restaurant opened here, hosting concerts, and the grounds also served Prague's earliest aeronauts as a launch site for balloon flights. That carefree, leisurely character — concerts, balloon ascents, a view over the city from above — is what eventually earned the place its "paradise" name.

How did a restaurant garden turn into the city's plant nursery?

The city of Prague bought the land in 1883, and from 1885 Rajská zahrada operated as a supply garden for Prague's municipal parks. Greenhouses were built here to a design by garden architect František Thomayer, one of the leading figures in Prague's municipal landscaping around the turn of the 20th century, and orchids were among the plants grown under glass. The nursery kept supplying Prague's parks with plants until 1937, when the Bax vocational school building went up on the northern part of the site — the same building now houses the University of Economics, Prague (VŠE).

What happened to the park during the 20th century?

Once its nursery role ended, the site gradually lost its earlier character, and by the second half of the 20th century it had fallen into serious disrepair. The city only took on a full-scale renovation starting in 2006, finishing in 2008 and reopening a refreshed Rajská zahrada to the public. The paths, planting and recreational areas visible today all date from that renovation, now not quite twenty years old.

What can visitors find in the park today?

Rajská zahrada now functions as a multi-purpose leisure and sports park with garden grounds, combining recreation, sport and rest in one compact space. Among its features is a historic water cascade, listed among Prague's garden-art heritage objects — a surviving trace of the site's 19th-century ornamental landscaping. The park works as a green pocket between Žižkov's residential streets and the neighboring Riegrovy sady, together forming a continuous strip of greenery in this part of Prague 3.

Where exactly is the park, and how do you get there?

Rajská zahrada sits in the Prague 3–Žižkov district, bordered by Riegrovy sady to the south and Winston Churchill Square to the north, right next to the University of Economics campus. That makes it an easy stop both for Žižkov locals and for anyone already visiting the adjoining Riegrovy sady, since the two green spaces sit directly next to each other.

Frequently asked questions

Is Rajská zahrada park the same place as the metro station with the same name? No — the Rajská zahrada metro station on Line B sits in a completely different part of Prague, in the Černý Most district, and has no direct connection to this Žižkov park beyond sharing its name.

Is entry to the park free? Yes, as a public municipal park, Rajská zahrada has no admission fee.

What's the most interesting historical feature besides the greenery? The historic water cascade is the standout — a remnant of the site's ornamental garden layout from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries.

How do you walk there from Riegrovy sady? The park borders Riegrovy sady directly on its southern side, so both green spaces can easily be covered in a single walk through Žižkov.