After two years of extensive work costing 180 million korunas, the Renaissance garden of Lysice Castle in Blanensku has been restored to its former glory. The largest project of its kind in the Czech Republic, the garden features green lawns, rose bushes, flower beds, and endless rows of ripening strawberries. It is set to open to the public next spring.
The garden dates back to the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries and has been restored according to period drawings, maps, and photographs. It offers visitors many seating areas and boasts an impressive colonnade accessed from the castle’s first floor. It was often used for walks in inclement weather during the fall and winter months. The garden’s pride and joy is its restored beekeeping station, terracotta staircase, artificial castle cave for cooling off on hot summer days, garden hall with frescoes depicting ships sailing the seas, greenhouse with camellias, and restored fig grove.
The garden is not just about an endless sea of greenery. It is divided into sections, each with its unique theme. One section will feature sphinxes, while another will have a nook with a statue of the Virgin Mary. There is even a corner dedicated to the ancient goddess Flora. The garden also has over thirty large vases for planting flowers, many of which will be empty. Hundreds of ceramic edging tiles were made using old techniques just for the flower beds.
The garden’s roses are a particular point of pride, once delivered to the court of Romanian kings from Lysice. The garden’s apple, elm, plane trees, and endless grassy carpets make for a stunning sight. The lily pond will also be a beautiful addition. While camellia shrubs will return to the greenhouse after reconstruction, new plantings are being prepared in the restored fig grove. The Dubský family, owners of the Lysice estate, traditionally sent baskets of figs, oranges, and mandarins as gifts to acquaintances from nearby castles during Christmas.
The garden’s water system is a marvel of engineering. It was designed to flow from the upper parts of the park to the middle and lower sections, irrigating the greenery and creating romantic corners. During the restoration work, several interesting items were discovered in the garden, including a wooden trough from the original fortress from which the castle was built. Laboratory testing showed that it was made from spruce felled in 1401. A 16th-century stone ball and a buried cellar were also uncovered.
The garden has already received over twenty wedding reservations for next season. The restoration of Lysická zámecká zahrada is an incredible example of historic preservation and an asset to Czech heritage, sure to delight visitors for generations to come.