NATURE IN ACTION

Vrchotovy Janovice Chateau Garden

The garden of the Vrchotovy Janovice chateau owes its unusual charm largely to the Countess Sidonie Nádherná who lived in the chateau in the first half of the 20th century. The architect Eduard Fiala, who was invited to landscape the gardens by the beautiful Countess, selected a perfect composition of trees and bushes, creating thus a number of intimate nooks and a network of paths in the steep terrain. With excellent skills, he further complemented the gardens with a pond and a stream. When visiting the park you must not overlook the huge climbing hortensia growing right next to the main entry gate. It is the largest plant of this species to be found in the Czech Republic. However, the park boasts other unique sights; for instance a number of large exotic trees, which will charm you with their breathtaking blossoms in the summer and fascinate you with a wonderful pallet of colourful leaves in the autumn. Rhododendrons are the biggest pride of the park though; it looks as if every possible colour has been planted here – yellow, pink, red and white. Many nesting birds can be spotted in the treetops. One of them is the black stork; they have offspring every year. It is very easy to see roman snails in the grass. Plodding on their relentless journey, they cross the path of many visitors. The recently reconstructed chateau and park are now in the possession of the National Museum.