statue of Hercules

The Statue of Hercules is a Baroque sandstone sculpture standing on an artificial islet in the middle of the lower pond in Kinský Garden, on Prague's Petřín hill. It shows the mythological hero battling the Hydra and ranks among the quieter favorite spots for Smíchov locals and visitors looking for a calmer side of Petřín, away from the crowds around the lookout tower.

Where exactly does the statue stand?

The sculpture is located in Kinský Garden (Zahrada Kinských), spread across the southern and south-eastern slope of Petřín hill in Prague's Smíchov district. The park, covering nearly 22 hectares, is separated from the rest of Petřín's gardens by the Hunger Wall, built during the reign of Charles IV. The Hercules figure itself stands on a small islet in the middle of the lower pond, close to the Kinský family's wooden summerhouse — making this corner one of the most picturesque spots in the whole garden complex.

Where does the statue come from, and how did it end up in the garden?

The Baroque statue dates from the late 17th century, and its sculptor remains unknown. It originally stood on Kampa Island in Malá Strana — a site long associated with garden sculpture and riverside palace grounds along the Vltava. It wasn't moved to Kinský Garden until 1939, when it was placed above the lower pond, where it still stands today. This kind of movement of sculptures between Prague's gardens wasn't unusual for the period — Baroque sculptural compositions often changed owners and locations as residences were rebuilt or redesigned.

What does the statue depict?

The composition shows Hercules, son of Zeus and Alcmene, in a dynamic struggle with the Hydra — the multi-headed monster of Greek mythology, whose defeat was one of the hero's twelve labors. This myth, popular in Baroque art as a symbol of strength and virtue triumphing over chaos, fit perfectly with the tastes of 17th-century patrons commissioning representative garden sculpture.

What is the history of the garden itself?

Kinský Garden was established in the 1820s on the initiative of Prince Rudolf Kinský as a naturalistic landscape park in the English style — a fashionable counterpoint at the time to the rigid, geometric Baroque gardens. Besides the lower pond with the Hercules figure, the park also contains an upper pond with a seal sculpture, a wooden Greek Catholic church dedicated to St. Michael, relocated here from Subcarpathian Ruthenia, and the Kinský summer palace, which today houses an ethnographic exhibition of the National Museum. The Hercules statue is therefore just one piece of a broader, carefully assembled collection of historical objects scattered across the Petřín slope.

Why is this spot worth a visit?

The site combines several qualities rarely found together: a Baroque statue with an unusually well-documented relocation history, a romantic pond with an islet, the shade of old trees, and views over the Smíchov skyline. Unlike the busier parts of Petřín — the rose garden or the area around the lookout tower — the lower pond in Kinský Garden remains a quiet enclave where visitors can sit for a while and study the details of a 17th-century sculptural composition without the crowds.

Frequently asked questions

Who made the Hercules statue in Kinský Garden? The sculptor is unknown. What is documented is that the statue dates from the late 17th century and was carved from sandstone.

Where did the statue come from, and when did it arrive at the garden? It originally stood on Kampa Island in Malá Strana. It was moved to Kinský Garden in 1939 and placed on the islet in the middle of the lower pond.

What does the statue show? It depicts Hercules fighting the Hydra, the mythological multi-headed monster whose defeat was one of the hero's twelve labors.

Where exactly in the park is the statue located? On an artificial islet in the middle of the lower pond, close to the Kinský family's summerhouse.

What else is worth seeing in Kinský Garden? The upper pond with its seal sculpture, the wooden Greek Catholic church of St. Michael, and the Kinský summer palace with the National Museum's ethnographic exhibition.