SEVEN YEARS AGO A LARGE TRACT OF PARKLAND WAS ADDED TO THE UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE LIST. ITS ADDITION MADE THE LIST NOT ONLY RICHER AND MORE BEAUTIFUL, BUT ALSO GREENER. THE PRŮHONICE PARK MAY CHALLENGE THE GENERAL NOTION THAT ONLY CASTLES, CHATEAUS AND CHURCHES QUALIFY AS HERITAGE SITES, BUT HISTORICAL LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE IS ALSO DESERVING OF OUR ATTENTION. THE PRŮHONICE PARK – A LITTLE PIECE OF PARADISE CREATED AT THE END OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY – IS A UNIQUE EXEMPLAR.
The park was established in 1885 by Count Arnošt Emanuel Silva-Tarouca, the Czech owner of the Průhonice domain. He searched for inspiration in Czechia and abroad before creating one of the largest nature parks in Europe, which to this day is highly prized for botanical research. The count’s lifelong passion was botany, and although he had no formal training in the field he published several books on dendrology. In 1927 he sold the entire Průhonice domain to the Czechoslovak state, but continued to look after the park until his death in 1936. Count Silva-Tarouca was also responsible for the reconstruction of the Průhonice Chateau into its current Neo-Renaissance likeness. It is rather fitting then that today the chateau is the seat of the Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences. There are no right angles or geometric designs in the Průhonice Park – all trails follow the various natural contours that define the Botič stream valley, itself a notional axis for the park. When creating the park, Count Silva-Tarouca retained its original wooded sections and over time added exotic species and water features. Today visitors can enjoy an impressive collection of conifer cones, a stunning alpine garden extending over the rocks above the stream, and more than 8,000 full-grown rhododendrons. The rhododendrons bloom in May and June and transform the park into a vivid colour palette. You can learn more about the 25th anniversary of Prague’s placement on the prestigious UNESCO World Heritage List at the free outdoor exhibition called Praha světová–25 let v UNESCO [Praga Mater Urbium–25 years on the UNESCO list], displayed on Prague’s Kampa Island until the end of June 2017. ■