Spring Awakening Meets Contemporary Art: “Early Spring” Exhibition in the Royal Garden of Prague Castle

Delicate blossoms, the first colours and contemporary art: the exhibition “Early Spring” in the Royal Garden combines nature and artistic perspectives in a unique way.

The first signs of spring come together with contemporary art: the exhibition “Early Spring”, subtitled “Garden of Small Gestures”, brings blooming plants and works by young artists together and opens up new perspectives on nature and creativity.

At the centre is the interplay of opening buds and colourful early bloomers – including tulips, hyacinths and daffodils – with works by contemporary artists. The exhibition is conceptually based on the book Modern Nature by the British director and artist Derek Jarman (1942–1994).

Foto: Pražský hrad

Towards the end of his life, Jarman purchased an old fisherman’s cottage on the coast of Dungeness in the county of Kent. Around the so-called Prospect Cottage, an extraordinary garden was created under difficult conditions, which is still regarded today as an artistic legacy – unconventional, resilient and distinctive. In his diary, which forms the basis of the book, Jarman recorded how gardening gave him support during a difficult period in his life. The boundaries between personal history and the garden merge into a shared narrative space.

The works of contemporary art selected for the exhibition take up these ideas – partly directly, partly in free interpretation. They present the garden as a place of reflection, as a retreat and as a process that requires patience, adaptability and the willingness to accept that not everything can be controlled.

Foto: Pražský hrad

At the same time, the Empire Greenhouse in the Royal Garden presents an elaborately prepared flower exhibition. Planning already began in the spring of the previous year, when the gardening team of the Prague Castle complex determined the selection of plants. In autumn, the bulbs are planted in hundreds of pots and cultivated in greenhouses. This is followed by a precisely coordinated sequence of temperature changes and light control to time the flowering exactly for the duration of the exhibition.

Foto: Pražský hrad

Visitors can look forward to a wide variety: in total, 29 varieties of tulips, six types of hyacinths, 57 different early bloomers, 24 daffodils and ten amaryllis are on display – all in full bloom.

Visitors should note that the Empire Greenhouse is unfortunately not accessible for wheelchair users.

Exhibition “Early Spring” (Předjaří)
from 26 February to 8 March 2026
Empire Greenhouse in the Royal Garden of Prague Castle
open daily from 10:00 to 17:00
(last admission at 16:30)