The sole owner of the so-called Art Garden complex is Pod Bělkou, a.s. The owner and chief executive of the company is Ing. Vojtěch Haluza, who is restoring the completely devastated complex through the use of substantial financial resources and at the cost of tremendous effort and personal dedication. He has approached the renovation of the complex with respect for its history, cultural value, the environment, and the surrounding urban landscape.

The former K. Novák sculpture park, which has been gradually restored, has been open to the public and organizations for hosting various cultural events since the beginning of its revitalization. As its exhibition value grew with the progress of the restoration, it also became a subject of interest for painters and photographers. We maintain a diverse archive of these artists’ works, which serves as a visual chronicle of the art garden.

The history of the garden and the work of the artists who created there—a diverse array of sculptors and, later, filmmakers—gradually became a subject of study for college students. The artistic potential of the artists working there was thus drawn upon for a thesis by H. Gaudeková, a student at Charles University who is now an art historian and Japanologist. Her 2011 bachelor’s thesis, titled “Karel Novák and His Artistic Enterprise,” supervised by Professor R. Prahl, provides a comprehensive overview of one of the studio’s most significant activities: the design of facades for Prague buildings. Extensive photographic documentation from this thesis is used as visual material in the separate chapter ARCHITECTURE.

Similarly, the second phase of the garden’s use—the era of the Short Film Studio from 1955 to 1989—was the subject of a 2019 bachelor’s thesis by Veronika Hanáková, a student at Charles University’s Faculty of Arts, titled *Animation on the Periphery*.

In addition to the previously announced visits by students from the Academy of Fine Arts and other art schools—who are always welcome—we are also happy to open our garden grounds to high school and elementary school students. I greatly appreciate the long-standing interest in learning about the history of our garden shown by students from the nearby Křesomyslova Elementary School and Vyšehrádek Preschool, as well as the emerging collaboration with students from the Anglo-Czech High School AMAZON and the Postupická High School in Prague 4. For next year, we plan to reach out to other schools in the area. The goal is for the garden complex to once again serve as a place for learning about its unique history.

Senior citizens have long been among the most appreciative visitors to the gardens, whether as individuals relaxing on a bench, small groups, or organized visits by senior citizens’ clubs.

The COVID-19 pandemic put a halt to the previous annual celebrations, wedding ceremonies, and corporate events. On a larger scale, we are preparing to resume our collaboration with the tenant of the POPULUS Hotel, EuroAgentur Hotels a.s.

 

Czech Radio Vltava on the Art Garden: https://vltava.rozhlas.cz/nikdo-o-ni-nevi-umelecka-zahrada-je-zelena-oaza-plna-soch-v-centru-prahy-9237505

 

iDNES on the Art Garden: idnes.cz/zpravy/umelecka-zahrada-v-nuslich-slavi-100-let

 

You can find the article on the 100th anniversary of the Art Garden here: www.bkovarikova.cz/zapisnik/2024/umelecke-zahrade-v-ciklovce-je-100-let-2770

 

A brief overview of our activities in 2023 was published in Tučňák magazine: