The Royal Gardens
sixteenth century, reconstructed 2008 onwards
On the eastern slope of the hill, hidden below the royal apartments, a series of small terraces descends toward the river. These are the Royal Gardens, a reconstruction of the private gardens that Queen Bona Sforza and King Sigismund the Old laid out in the fifteen thirties in the Italian manner. They are enclosed, intimate and easy to miss, which is exactly what a Renaissance queen wanted from a garden: a place to walk, read and talk away from the court.
The terraces are planted with raised beds edged in wood, pergolas covered in vines, dwarf fruit trees and herbs, all chosen from species recorded in sixteenth century sources. Archaeological digs found the old retaining walls, steps and even the pits of planting holes, and the garden designers used these to set out the plan. There is a small wooden pavilion in the style of the period and a view over the river valley that the queen herself would have known. Bona Sforza, who came from Bari and Milan, is credited with introducing many Italian vegetables to Poland, and to this day the Polish word for a bundle of soup vegetables comes from the word for Italy.
The gardens were destroyed when the Austrians turned the hill into a fortress in the nineteenth century, and their reconstruction between two thousand and eight and two thousand and fifteen was one of the last major projects in the restoration of the castle. They are open seasonally in the warmer months and are usually quiet, so they make a good pause between exhibitions. Look back up at the castle from the lowest terrace for a view of the east wing that few visitors ever see.
Did You Know? Queen Bona is said to have brought Italian vegetables to Poland, and the Polish word for soup greens, włoszczyzna, literally means Italian stuff.
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