Heritage conservationists will ceremoniously open the restored garden at Pernštejn Castle today

Nedvědice – The lordly garden of the Gothic castle Pernštejn in the Brno region will welcome its first visitors on Friday. Today, it will be ceremoniously opened by representatives of the National Heritage Institute and the South Moravian Region. The restoration of the garden was completed last September after nearly three years of work, but it was decided to wait until it was in full bloom. The garden is unique in the Czech Republic, especially due to its location on a steep hill and in close proximity to the castle.

The costs of the project amount to 125 million crowns, partially funded by grants from European funds. During the restoration of the garden, it was necessary to cut down a large number of mature trees, leaving behind stumps. However, the gardeners planted another five hundred shrubs on the steep slope. These are primarily native species such as beeches, hornbeams, or linden trees; in the flat part, designed as a French-style garden, there are fruit trees. In addition to the French style, the garden also features Baroque, Anglo-Chinese, forest, and romantic sections with viewing terraces and an obelisk.

Scattered throughout the slope and the flat part of the garden are small buildings known as salets. These include a niche with a statue of Apollo, a Chinese pavilion, and a hermitage that needed to be reconstructed during the restoration. All the statues in the restored garden are replicas; the originals are stored in the castle.

After the opening, the lordly garden will serve as a separate tour route, through which visitors can enter from the castle and either walk through the garden loop and return to the castle, or exit via a newly built turnstile at the lower part of the garden towards the parking lot.

The extensive garden will be maintained by three gardeners, whose employment is part of the project. Along with the lordly garden, they will care for the forest park that covers most of the hill on which the castle stands.