PETRIN HILL, Petrin Hill

Hi, my name’s Marcy, and I’m your personal guide. Along with MyWoWo, I’d like to welcome you to one of the wonders of the world: Petrin Hill.

Petrin Hill is a large public park along the left bank of the Vltava, in the heart of Prague. The name, which may derive from the Latin petrus, meaning rock, has been in use since the 17th century; before that, the hill was known as Laurenzberg, after the ancient Chapel of Saint Lawrence.

The park was created by combining the vegetable gardens of the monasteries with the gardens of the local aristocrats, which over the centuries took the place of the thick forest that once stretched right down to the banks of the river.

At the foot of the hill is the memorial to the victims of Communism, built in 2002, an installation combining architecture and sculpture, designed by the artist Olbram Zoubek. As you walk up the steps, you will encounter seven human figures that appear increasingly corroded and decayed, symbolizing the worsening of conditions brought about by the Communist regime....