What's in a Prague street name

Originally published on Twitter on 29 April 2022.

Hraniční was built in 1925.

‘Border Street’ is so called because it lies on the border between the districts of Žižkov and Vysočany.

I’m very much guilty of assuming that Praha 3 = Žižkov and Žižkov alone, but no, it’s got parts of Vinohrady, Vysočany and Strašnice too, though those districts are mainly in Praha 2, 9 and 10 respectively. Vysočany is to the north.

Fun language fact: Vinohrady, Vysočany and Strašnice are all plural. So, while we would happily say ‘Vinohrady is…’, etc., Czech speakers have to say ‘Vinohrady jsou…’, i.e. ‘Vinohrady *are*’.

I find the very brief English-language Wikipedia page for Žižkov hilarious. It includes this: “Like many districts of the city, Prague 3 is socioeconomically diverse. The western part of Žižkov is known for its high concentration of brothels, strip clubs and cheap bars. Yet only a short distance away are nice apartments and a new shopping mall with expensive stores.“