Two newly restored gardens open below Prague Castle

President Vaclav Havel and Premier Milos Zeman on Monday attended the opening of two newly restored gardens on the south-facing embankment of Prague Castle.

The opening of the Kolovratska and the Small Fuerstenberska gardens are the latest phase of an ambitious project to restore the area directly beneath the castle to its former glory. The first two gardens, the Ledeburska and the Small Palffyovska, re-opened in June 1995 with the Large Palffyovska following two years later. The latest additions will link together most of the complex.

Deputy Minister of Culture Zdenek Novotny said on Monday that the reconstructed Kolovratska and Small Fuerstenberska gardens were a very rare example of the Barogue-Italian style here in the Czech Republic.

Radio Prague's Peter Smith hopped on the tram to the gardens where he spoke to two of the people involved in the project--Olga Beauerova of the Prague Heritage Fund, and the designer Radek Krcil: And as you may have heard in Peter's report there, if you wish to sample the delights of the gardens some time soon, then you'll have to be quick. They'll be open every day from 10am until 6pm until the end of October, but then closed until April 1st. Admission for adults is 80 Kc.