Stromovka park: history, quiet corners, and Prague’s hidden nature
In this episode of Prague Off the Beaten Track, we take you into Stromovka, Prague’s vast Royal Game Reserve. Once a medieval hunting ground, today it’s one of the city’s most beloved and tranquil parks. Just a short walk from Výstaviště, it offers history, nature, and unexpected quiet in the middle of Prague.
A Royal Park shaped over centuries
Stromovka may look like a simple green oasis today, but its story stretches back hundreds of years. Originally a royal hunting ground, it was carefully shaped by medieval kings, Renaissance builders and, later, Emperor Rudolf II, who had the long underground tunnel constructed to feed the park’s ponds. Over the centuries Stromovka changed again and again—new lakes were dug, exotic trees planted, and floods repeatedly forced the city to restore and reimagine the landscape. The result is a mix of history and nature that you can still feel as you walk among the meadows, forests and long straight alleys.
A gateway through Výstaviště
For many visitors the journey into Stromovka begins not in the park itself, but at the nearby Výstaviště tram stop. The Exhibition Grounds—once the site of grand industrial fairs, later renamed the Park of Culture and Leisure—were carved out of the eastern edge of Stromovka in the late 19th century. Passing through its broad entrance, with the Industrial Palace towering above, you step from a world of pavilions, concerts and funfairs into the calm of the Royal Game Reserve. Today several renovated buildings, playgrounds and cafés form a lively border that gently leads visitors into the quiet of the park.
A living museum of trees and peaceful paths
The name Stromovka literally means “the place of trees,” and it is exactly that—a vast open-air arboretum in the middle of Prague. An educational trail winds through the park, introducing nearly ninety-six species of trees and shrubs, from native oaks and lindens to exotic beeches and ashes planted during the Habsburg era. Whether you explore them slowly or simply stroll along the ponds, Stromovka offers a gentler rhythm than the rest of the city. Even on a dark weekday afternoon, with fading autumn light, the park remains one of Prague’s most relaxing escapes.
Fact Box – Stromovka (Královská obora)
- Location: Prague 7, Bubeneč – easily accessible from tram stop Výstaviště and metro station Nádraží Holešovice.
- Size: Approximately 90 hectares, making it one of the largest parks in Prague.
- Founded: Originally established as a royal hunting ground in the Middle Ages; opened to the public in 1804.
- Key Feature: Ponds and streams fed by the 16th-century Rudolf Tunnel, an engineering work built under Emperor Rudolf II.
- Botanical Diversity: Nearly 96 species of trees and shrubs marked along an educational trail.
- Nearby Landmarks: Industrial Palace and Exhibition Grounds (Výstaviště), Prague Planetarium, and the railway line along the Vltava.
- Cultural Status: Protected as both a natural monument and a cultural heritage site.
How to get there: tram and bus station Výstaviště, walk acces form Holešovice, Bubeneč or Trója, across the river
