What's in a Prague street name

Originally published on Twitter on 14 December 2022.

Vocelova was built in 1884.

Jan Erazim Wotzel was born in Kutná Hora in 1802. He studied in both Prague and Vienna, and, at some point in these years, adapted his surname to its Czech form, Vocel.

In Prague, he also befriended František Palacký.

Upon graduating, he worked as a tutor, for example to the noble Czernin family (https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2022/11/19/prague-3-day-21-cerninova/).

In the 1840s in Prague, he became friendly with key Czech patriots, including Josef Jungmann.

This group encouraged him to found the Archaeological Society in 1843, when he also became editor of the magazine of the National Museum (Časopis Národního muzea, or Muzejník).

In 1848, he briefly entered the Austrian Constituent Assembly as an MP, representing Polička.

In 1850, he became Associate Professor of Archeology and Art History at Charles University.

Four years later, he founded Památky archaeologické a místópisné (Archaeological and topographical monuments) along with Karel Václav Zap.

Perhaps his best known work was Prehistory of the Czech Lands / Pravěk země české,  published in two volumes in 1866 and 1868.

Vocel died of pneumonia in 1871, and is buried in Olšany Cemetery.