The Renaissance building in which it is located was built by architect Ulrico Aostalli on the site of a wooden court established by Emperor Ferdinand Hapsburg I. Lions, leopards, tigers, and orang-utans were all kept here in the heated pens with enclosures and beside them a high wall with a gallery for spectators. Notorious is the story of the Emperor Rudolph II’s lion named Mohamed, which had an astrological constellation very similar to Rudolf's. And indeed, the emperor Rudolf II died a few days after the death of the lion. In a way, this was the first zoo in Prague, keeping animals until 1740. At the end of the 18th century, though, gardener Adam Ultz opened a tavern here instead. The Renaissance building was converted into a restaurant and garden between 1967 and 1972. Then, with the arrival of President Václav Havel, the building underwent complete reconstruction as part of the reconstruction of Prague Castle and its opening to the public.