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The history of the district letna

Although Letna is administratively part of Holesovice-Bubny, it is a highly distinctive area with its own history. Letna belonged to the Czech princes, and in 1088, together with Bubny, it was donated by the king to the Vysehrad Chapter. In 1261 Premysl II was crowned here. In the past the south slope of Letna was used as a vineyard, particularly in the reign of Charles IV.

Later, however, the viticultural tradition gradually disappeared and the vineyards were abandoned, especially during the Thirty Years War. The tradition was to be revived only at the end of the 18th century by the Freiherr Jakub Wimmer.

In 1715-16 a summer palace Belvedere was constructed here, but not quite thirty years later it was destroyed by the French army . Since then the summer palace at the Prague Castle has taken over the name Belvedere.

The strategic position of Letna was militarily very suitable for artillery bombardments. The direct threat this posed to Prague resulted in the construction of fortifications in 1757, which were torn down after the land was bought by the Prague municipality in 1859 and replaced by the Letna Gardens. Their park design with the then fashionable chestnut avenues was the work of the chief gardener of the royal city of Prague, Frantisek Thomayer.

historical roundabout on the letna