Czech Kamenice has been beautified thanks to the restored monastery garden

Česká Lípa - The restored garden in the Augustinian monastery has become one of the most beautiful places in the forty-thousand-strong Česká Lípa after an 18-year-long reconstruction. The garden, designed in the French Renaissance style, attracted hundreds of visitors after its grand opening today. In addition to lawns, bushes, paths, and sandstone sculptures, it features a natural amphitheater. The restoration cost more than four million crowns over the last two years, said the spokesperson of the Česká Lípa municipality, Kateřina Amrichová.
The garden belongs to the Regional Museum and Gallery and will serve cultural events. The Liberec Region has dedicated nearly three million crowns to its reconstruction since 2004. "The city added one million crowns and the museum 100,000 crowns. Sponsors also contributed," Amrichová stated. Gardeners have planted ornamental flowers, 650 hornbeams, and 1,300 hedge plants, as well as lavender and other fragrant herbs. Monks once cultivated them in the monastery.
The restoration of the garden began in 1988. The first part was successfully reconstructed in 1991. The rescue of the neglected garden was prolonged due to the return of the monastery to the Augustinian Order. Later, the state bought the monument back from them. The second phase of the garden's restoration started in June 2004. Among other things, the main retaining wall was repaired. Craftsmen aimed to keep as many original historical elements as possible. "We saved money during the reconstruction and were able to do more work than we had anticipated," pointed out the museum director Zdeněk Vitáček.
The Augustinian monastery garden had been neglected for several decades before the restoration and was at risk of extinction. A part of the garden was sacrificed for the construction of the nearby cultural center Crystal. Plans for the garden's reconstruction also included cascading water features between Crystal and the monastery. However, they did not make it into the final project, as their construction and maintenance would have cost too much money.