Menagerie in the Royal Garden

The menagerie was founded probably by Ferdinand I in 1534 (or earlier) and operated continuously until 1740. Also two branches - Hvězda Game Park and Ovenec Game Park (today's Stromovka) belonged under this menagerie.

Maximilian II built the first wooden pavilion of beasts of prey, which Rudolf II later rebuilt to famous Lion Court (later renamed to Bear Court). At the time of the reign of Rudolf II, it was the greatest menagerie of the then Europe with the most important collection of animal species. Menagerie of this scale was not overcome in Europe until the turn of the 18th and 19th century, when the first modern zoos emerged. From the immense number of animals that were here, we have reports about: lions, tigers, leopards, cheetahs, bears, wolves, foxes, camels, deer, wild boar, wisents, buffalos, "Indian donkey" horses, "Indian calf", ostriches, pelicans, white gyrfalcons, eagles and other raptors, parrots, hummingbirds, guinea fowls, turkeys, large reptiles... Unconfirmed report also talks about orang-utans and (or) chimpanzee, antelopes or gazelles, flamingos, cassowary and other animals - often unspecific, such as "rare New Guinea parrots" or "redtails." The most famous alleged inhabitant of the Rudolf's menagerie was dodo bird (see comprehensive info here). 1599, reportedly there was born (bred) first lion in Czech lands.

After the death of Rudolf II (1612) the menagerie began to dilapidate, at the turn of the 17th and 18th century there were only a few animals, and in 1740, disappeared definitively. Today a restaurant is from the Lion Court, the Royal Garden is open to visitors (as the Garden of Prague Castle), as well as both deer parks - Hvězda and Stromovka (as parks).