The garden’s founder, Luboš Hruška
The origins of the garden themselves carry a powerful story. The former soldier by trade, Luboš Hruška, was sentenced to 18 years in prison at the end of the 1940s for political reasons. He remained in prison for 11 years. While behind bars he swore that if he ever made it home safely, he would convert his family’s orchard into a memorial that would serve as a reminder of the horrors perpetrated by the communist regime. After he was released, he began to gradually cut down his orchard’s trees and began to form a garden consisting of hundreds of rare coniferous trees.
Hruška spent a total of 30 years realizing his design for his English-style garden, which included two decorative ponds. The garden was first opened to the public after the Velvet Revolution in 1990. Included in the Memorial to the Victims of Evil is the Way of the Cross, which was created by the academic sculptor Roman Podrázský. You will also find a chapel here, dedicated to Maximilian Kolbe. This Polish priest was executed in Auschwitz after having offered his life in place of that of his fellow inmate – the father of several children.
In 1995, Luboš Hruška dedicated his garden to the Pilsen bishopric, who vowed to keep it open to the public for now and forever. The Hruška meditation garden is open to visitors from spring to autumn. Commentated tours, concerts, weddings and other events are held here during that season.
