What's in a Prague street name

Originally published on Twitter on 26 November 2022.

Krkonošská was built in 1908.

The Krkonoše – Riesengebirge in German, and Giant Mountains in English – are located in north-eastern Bohemia and in Polish Silesia. They’re the tallest mountain range in the Czech Republic.

They also form part of the Sudetes, a ‘geomorphological subprovince’ shared by Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic, and from which the term ‘Sudetenland’ was derived.

The Poles call the Sudetes the Sudety, and the Germans call them the Sudeten. All easy enough so far.

The Czechs, meanwhile, call them the Krkonošsko-jesenická subprovincie, because who needs catchiness?

The name Krkonoš first appears in writing in 1492 – for grammar nerds, one Krkonoš is feminine – before Krkonošská hory being mentioned in 1517 and, in 1601, the Krkonoše.

The story of the name is debated, with theories ranging from an old Slavic word for ‘kneeling’ to a Celtic tribe, the Korkontoi.

It may also be linked to the Gorgany, a mountain range in the Ukrainian Carpathians.

Points of interest include Sněžka, the highest peak in the country, Luční hora, which comes a close second, and towns which are famous as ski resorts, such as Harrachov, Špindlerův Mlýn and, on the other side of the border, Karpacz.

Pics below are a postcard of Sněžka by German painter Erwin Spindler (1860-1926) and Blick über Krummhübel auf die Schneekoppe by Albert Hertel (1843-1912), a German landscape painter.

Predominantly German-speaking for centuries (apparently including lots of Tyrolian lumberjacks from the 16th century onwards), after 1918 there was an influx of Czechs.

The Czechs were expelled in 1938, but they returned in 1945, when the Germans were banished.

Another interesting feature is the Polish–Czech Friendship Trail along the border (a distinct improvement on how well these two used to get on – https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2024/01/27/prague-2-day-14-polska/).

There are some great photos on Wikipedia of border protection forces in 1945.

There’s also the source of the Elbe (Labe) River, Pančavský, the highest waterfall in the country (postcard below), and Černá hora, which should be confused neither with the beer (which is made in Moravia) or Montenegro.

First New Year’s resolution for 2023: reread this thread in a year and think ‘the pics are awesome, but thank f**k I actually visited this summer and got some photos of my own too’.

Feel free to share your own photos of / anecdotes about the Krkonoše here too!