Henček Garden will take part in the international event Rendezvous aux Jardins in 2026, offering the public a weekend program focused on exploring the space through art, history, and shared garden is…
Henček Garden will take part in the international event Rendezvous aux Jardins in 2026, offering the public a weekend program focused on exploring the space through art, history, and shared activities.
The garden is a community public space located in the historic Podhradie area of Bratislava, at the foothills of the Little Carpathians. This place is significantly shaped by both its geological and urban past, the layers of which are still visible in the terrain itself.
It lies within the area of the former Zuckermandel and Vydrica districts, which are among the oldest parts of the city. During the 20th century, these areas were largely demolished, mainly in connection with the construction of the SNP Bridge. Traces of this past remain present in the garden—in the form of fragments of walls, foundations, and remnants of the original urban fabric.
From the 1960s onward, local residents gradually began to cultivate and improve the space as a natural extension of their living environment. After a period of decline, the garden has been revitalized again since 2022 thanks to the initiative of a new generation of neighbors who shape it through shared care and community-based practices. Today, it functions as an open, informal public space that is not the result of a single design, but of continuous development.
Within the event, the garden is presented as a living landscape where history, nature, and contemporary artistic approaches intertwine. A key part of the program is the integration of site-specific artworks. In collaboration with students of the Secondary School of Woodworking and Design, a series of sculptures was created directly from standing tree trunks originally intended for removal. These interventions reflect the transformation of the place while seeking a sensitive relationship between natural processes and human intervention.
An installation by Jakub Hauskrecht also responds to this year’s theme and invites visitors to observe the space and its details more attentively.
During the weekend, the garden offers a public program: guided tours from different interpretative perspectives, morning yoga, and a storytelling event for children. Through these activities, visitors can become more familiar with the place and experience it as a space of encounter, perception, and sharing.
Henček Garden thus becomes not only a place to visit, but also a space of perception—shaped by memory, attention, and the presence of the people who care for it.
Saturday, June 6, 2026
• 9:00 AM – Start your morning with Yoga
• 11:00 AM | 2:00 PM | 5:00 PM – Explore the garden through guided tours from different perspectives
Sunday, June 7, 2026
• 11:00 AM | 2:00 PM | 5:00 PM – Guided garden tours from different perspectives
• 3:00 PM – Storytime for children: The Little Spectacled Elf with writer Kristínka Balúchová
Installation of artistic objects: Jakub Hauskrecht
(referencing this year’s theme: the view)
