There are small treasures in the surroundings of Prague that remain in the shadows because they are overshadowed by the historical center of the capital, which tends to engulf most visitors. One of these is the Park of Pruhonice, founded in 1885 by Count Silva-Tarouca, who took advantage of the valley formed by the river Botič to create a large botanical garden in which native and exotic flora coexisted. The result was surprising to say the least, and from the very beginning Pruhonice Park became the gateway to new plant species for the whole of Bohemia and one of the most important landscape parks in Europe. The Park is definitely one of Europe’s most beautiful parks and you can find it together with the chateau not far from Prague.
Very valuable is its dendrological collection: an arboretum with a great quantity of local and exotic plants and an exceptional collection of rhododendrons.
The park is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The park - which covers an area of 210 hectares - has been divided into three paths: "basic" (2.5 Km 1.5-2 hours), "main" (5 Km 3-4 hours) and "panoramic" (10 Km, 5-6 hours), all well marked and in excellent condition. Along the routes there are explanatory panels in English that give information on the various types of trees and plants: the park contains in fact 1600 different plant species among which 8000 specimens of rhododendrons.
The park also includes lakes, streams, waterfalls and a neo-Renaissance castle of which it is possible to visit only the inner courtyards and the Knights' Hall, a very popular place for wedding ceremonies.
