What's in a Prague street name

Originally published on Twitter on 8 July 2022.

Sauerova was built in 1975 (apologies for the obvious defects in the street sign).

František ‘Franta’ Sauer was born to a poor family in Žížkov in 1882. He trained as a locksmith, spent some time as a journeyman, and then returned to the district.

He was the leader of the group of Žižkovites who tore down the Marian column on Old Town Square in 1918. He went to trial for this in 1924, but the case was considered time-barred.

Around the same time, he set up an organisation in Žižkov, Černá ruka (Black hand), which moved non-residents into secret apartments.

He also claimed to have participated in a reenactment of the Battle of Vítkov in 1920, getting the main participants drunk and thereby helping the crusader side to win.

He was most known for being a close friend of Jaroslav Hašek, and also the publisher of the first edition of The Good Soldier Švejk.

After WW2, he was arrested for publishing the works of T.G. Masaryk, and imprisoned in Terezín.

Released in 1945, he contracted tuberculosis shortly after and died in 1947.