What's in a Prague street name

Originally published on 3 May 2022.

Na Vápence was built in 1925. Vápenka translates as ‘lime works’ or ‘limekiln’; it was also the name of a farmstead lying where the street is now.

Presumably there was formerly a limestone quarry in the area, hence the name of the settlement. Apparently it stretched across Židovské pece towards the northern border of Nákladové nádraží Žižkov (Žižkov freight railway station, which we’ll get to).

The settlement, which is mentioned in 18th century texts, had a courtyard which disappeared after World War II, when the freight railway station was expanded. The courtyard also contained a hotel (‘Hotel Siege’).