Petrin hill
The hill on the western edge of the Mala Strana (Lesser Town) district which is today one of Prague's largest parks, was once covered with vineyards and, before that, was a stone quarry with many of Prague's Romanesque and Gothic houses and churches built with the local stone. Charles VI. had new town walls erected along the ridge thus integrating the hill into the town. On the occasion of the Jubilee Exhibition in 1891, a scaled-down copy of the Eiffel Tower at the top of the hill and a funicular up the hill were added. The bottom station of the funicular is on Ujezd Street, from where it takes you 130 metres higher, travelling 511 meters up hill. The funicular has been intermittently in operation since July 25, 1891. In 1932, the track was extended, electricity replaced water as power, and stop at Nebozisek was newly added. Nebozisek, a former farmstead built next to a path winding like the thread of an auger (hence the name Nebozisek, or auger), is currently a restaurant with a terrace from where is beautiful view of Prague can be had. Behind the lookout tower stands the Church of St. Lawrence, the first recorded reference to which dates from 1135, and the Chapel of the Tomb of Christ, built in 1732 after the Jerusalem tomb next to the pilgrimage road from Strahov. The former pavilion of the Czech Tourist's Club transferred here from the Jubilee Exhibition in 1892, is a miniature copy of the already non-existent Spicka Gate that was a part of the Gothic fortifications of Vysehrad at the time of Charles IV.
It currently houses a mirror maze, including a laughter hall where visitors can laugh at their reflections distorted by the convex and concave mirrors, and a diorama, or life-sized painting integrated into a virtual environment of a total area of 80 square metres, depicting the battle of the people of Prague with the Swedes on Charles Bridge, one of the last confrontations of the Thirty Years' War. While walking along the Petrin slopes, one can admire views of nearly the whole of Prague. Stefanikova Observatory at the top of the hill moreover provides an opportunity for a view of the celestial bodies.

Petrinske sady
To the west of the Little Quarter, the wooded slopes of Petrin hill rise above the city to a height of 318 m (960 ft). The name derives either from the Slavonic god Peron, to whom sacrifices were made on the hill or from the Latin name Mons Petrinus, meaning "rocky hill". The southern side of the hill was planted with vineyards, but by the 18^th century most of these had been transformed into gardens and orchards. The lower slopes are still covered with old apple and pear trees.
Today a path winds up the slopes of Petrin, offering magnificent panoramas of Prague. The park is especially popular in the spring when the fruit trees are in blossom and young lovers lay flowers on the monument to Karel Hynek Macha, the most famous Czech Romantic poet, who died aged 26 in 1836.

The Petrin hill funicular railway
After the renewal in 1985, the Petrin hill funicular railway was integrated into Prague's public transportion system. You may transfer onto it at the Ujezd tram stop it takes you up to Nebozizek and Petrin. To ride the furnicular railway you need a valid Prague transportion ticket which is good for transfers.
The funicular railway operates daily from 9.15 a.m. to 8.45 p.m. The interval between rides is 15 minutes in winter (October - April) and 10 minutes in summer (April - October)
Distance: 510 m
Number of stops: 3
Number of cars: 2
Altitude difference: 130 m
Bevel at its steepest part: 29.5 percent
Speed: 4 m/sec