From vineyards to bunkers – the Prague park that captivated Dan Brown
Few visitors to Prague have heard of Folimanka Park, a green valley tucked between Vinohrady and Nusle. Yet this quiet corner recently gained worldwide attention when Dan Brown set part of his latest thriller there.
A park beneath the bridge
When people talk about Prague’s botanical gardens and parks, Folimanka rarely comes to mind. Hidden between Vinohrady, Nusle, and New Town, it lies in the steep valley of the Botič stream, directly beneath the massive concrete span of the Nusle Bridge. Today, locals come here for the playgrounds, the skate park, or the sports hall that shares the same name. Yet beneath this peaceful green space runs a web of underground passages that once symbolized the darkest fears of the twentieth century.
What brought Folimanka back into the spotlight is none other than American author Dan Brown, whose new novel A Secret of Secrets (fictional title in your script: Treasure of Treasures) places some of its most dramatic scenes right here — under the park. It’s a literary nod that may well draw more visitors to this overlooked corner of Prague.
From vineyards to a city park
Folimanka’s story stretches back to the fourteenth century, when the slopes of the Botič Valley were covered with vineyards owned by a Prague burgher named Jakub Foliman — the man who gave the place its name. Later, in the fifteenth century, the sunny hillsides became famous for apricot orchards. Over the centuries, various owners came and went. In the early nineteenth century, Baron Jakub Wimmer turned the local estate into an English-style garden, repairing the paths and planting new fruit trees.
The original Folimanka manor survived until the mid-twentieth century. After World War I, it briefly served as a children’s orthopedic pavilion before falling into decay and being demolished in the 1960s. At that time, Prague was preparing for the construction of the Nusle Bridge, completed in 1973. When the project ended, the surrounding area was turned into a public park, with lawns, fountains, and playgrounds. That’s how Folimanka became one of Prague’s most unusual urban oases — a green refuge directly beneath one of the city’s busiest traffic arteries.
The hidden world underground
What most visitors don’t realize is that twenty meters below Folimanka lies a Cold War civil-defense shelter, built between 1959 and 1962 as a secret facility for up to 1,300 people. The shelter used and expanded an older World War II air-raid tunnel, reinforcing it with thick concrete walls. Equipped with wells, toilets, a medical room, and a 1955 diesel generator, it was meant to keep its occupants alive for 72 hours in case of a nuclear or chemical attack.
The project cost nearly six million Czechoslovak crowns and remained classified for decades. After 1994, the shelter came under the administration of Prague 2, which eventually opened it to the public in 2014. Today, visitors can join occasional guided tours, even in English, by checking the official Folimanka Shelter pages online. When not used for tours, the underground space serves as a venue for small exhibitions on wartime history, flood protection, and urban art.
Art, sport, and the spirit of the place
Back on the surface, Folimanka is far from just another park. Beside the sports hall — home of the USK Praha basketball club, one of the country’s oldest university teams — there are lively playgrounds and a skate park, always full of local kids. And scattered across the lawns stands a surprising collection of sculptures that give the area its artistic charm.
Among them is the much-loved Bear Family by Václav Frydecký, whose Gymnast and Basketball Player echo the park’s sporting character. Other works such as Skateboarder and Undressing make the place feel like an open-air gallery. Here, art, leisure, and everyday life blend seamlessly — another reminder of how Prague’s hidden spaces often reveal unexpected layers of creativity.
The Bastion above the valley
Climbing from the park up the steep hillside, a path leads to the Bastion, a restored part of Prague’s seventeenth-century Baroque fortifications. Once a defensive structure guarding the city’s southern edge, it was recently renovated and made accessible directly from Folimanka. Today it serves a very different purpose — a terrace café and quiet lookout with panoramic views across the Nusle Valley, Vyšehrad, and, in the distance, Strahov, Petřín, and Prague Castle.
It’s easy to see why the location inspired Dan Brown to weave it into his mystery novel. With its blend of history, hidden tunnels, and commanding views, Folimanka Park truly feels like a place of secrets — one that rewards anyone willing to venture a little off the beaten track.
- Location: Between Vinohrady, Nusle, and New Town, Prague 2
- Highlights: Folimanka Shelter (Cold War bunker), Folimanka Sports Hall, outdoor sculptures, skate park, and playgrounds
- Folimanka Shelter: Built 1959–1962; capacity 1,300 people; open for guided tours on selected dates (including in English)
- Area: Approximately 6 hectares
- Above the park: Nusle Bridge (completed 1973), spanning 40 meters above the valley
- Nearby landmark: The Bastion, part of Prague’s 17th-century Baroque fortifications, now restored and accessible from the park
- Notable artworks: Bear Family, Gymnast, Basketball Player, Skateboarder, and Undressing
- In fiction: Featured in A Secret of Secrets (also referred to as Treasure of Treasures) by American author Dan Brown
- How to get there: from I. P. Pavlova metro station (Line C), it’s about a 10-minute walk along Legerova or Lublaňská Streets. The park can also be reached from Bělehradská, Pod Karlovem, or Na Slupi Streets, with several tram stops nearby.
