What's in a Prague street name

Originally published on Twitter on 1 June 2022.

Na Balkáně was built in 1925, and translates as ‘In the Balkans’.

‘Balkán’ is indeed the name of this part of Prague, which is located mainly in Vysočany but also partially in Žižkov.

Na Balkáně is home to a gardening settlement, founded in 1938, and one of the oldest in Prague. It’s a lovely place to go for a walk.

This is the actual centre of Prague. Possibly. Since 2021, there’s been an… erm, ‘object’ (insert your own comment on what it looks like here) in a children’s playground on Na Balkáně, marking the intersection of the northernmost, etc. points of the city.

So, as this article puts it: if you really want to get to know the heart of Prague, you have to go to the Balkans: https://www.novinky.cz/clanek/domaci-na-vylet-do-skutecneho-stredu-prahy-musite-na-balkan-40362360

FYI, you can also get to know the heart of Prague by going to the coastline of the ‘other’ Balkans in much of July and August of any given year.

I haven’t fully worked out why these Balkans are named after the other Balkans, so send your answers over if you have them.