The Royal Garden beside the castle in Prague is a joy to behold. There is a Renaissance pavilion there which seems to have a connection to Czechia’s recent communism-tainted past.

Ferdinand I built the Ball Game Hall, to use its proper name, between 1565 and 1569. It lasted until 1945 when it was destroyed during the liberation of Prague. In the 1950s, it was rebuilt during the Communist era.

The result is a beautiful and lovingly rebuilt Renaissance style building that blends into the castle gardens as if it was always there. It is 68 metres long and 13 metres wide which gives you an idea of the size of gatherings inside the building itself.

If you enter the castle grounds from the Garden, you need to walk towards the castle before you will see it. Despite its size, the building is well shielded from the main road by the numerous trees that line the paths in the garden. If you enter the gardens from the castle, it is almost the first thing you see.

All around the facade of the building, the original sgraffiti have been reproduced. There are four that represent the elements of Earth, Air, Fire and Water. The seven capital virtues (Prudence, Temperance, Charity, Hope, Courage, Justice and Faith) follow. Finally, you can see the representations of the liberal arts (Theology, Astronomy, Geometry, Music, Arithmetic, Rhetoric, Dialectic and Grammar)

However, if you carefully scour the facade you will notice another sgraffito.

Added when the place was being restored, there is the hammer-and-sickle – a recognisable emblem of Communism – above the third arch from the left. It nestles in a garland held by a maiden. With the huge amount of detail, it’s easy to miss this as there is only so much that the eye can take in. See if you can spot it: 

It is the only element of Socialist Realism (as this art form is known) in the Prague Castle.

There’s more in Olomouc, should you be interested.

Which we should be thankful for.

Have you seen any unusual details in restored or rebuilt buildings?