What's in a Prague street name

Originally published on X on 6 March 2023.

Vinařického was built in 1884.

Karel Alois Vinařický, despite his surname, was born into a German-speaking family in Slaný in 1803. It wasn’t until his teens that he started to take an active interest in the Czech language and the national movement.

After studying philosophy in Prague, he entered a seminary and started to write. He also found work a a tutor to the Šlik family, one of the most important noble families in Bohemia.

In 1828, he co-founded the Journal for the Catholic Clergy (ČKD); a year later, he became master of ceremonies to the Archbishop of Prague, Václav Leopold Chlumčanský.

In 1833, he became a priest in Kováň, a village about ten kilometres from Mladá Boleslav; in 1848, he would be elected to the Reichstag in Vienna, representing the Mladá Boleslav district.

It was during his time in Kováň that he wrote his most famous works, including Varito a lyra, a patriotic collection of poems.

He was also known for his poems aimed at children, as well as school textbooks such as Abeceda česká (1838).

In 1859, he became canon of the Vyšehrad chapter – hence the location of the street – and, shortly afterwards, co-founded Dědictví sv. Prokop, an association that promoted theological writings in Czech.

He died in Vyšehrad in 1869.