What's in a Prague street name

Originally published on X on 9 September 2023.

A kanovník – or, alternatively, a kapitulár – is a canon, i.e. a clergyman who belongs to a specific chapter, or who performs liturgical functions in a certain church.

The ‘certain church’ in this case is quite an important one – St. Vitus Cathedral (as it was known until 1997, when Wenceslas/Václav and Adalbert/Vojtěch found their way into its name).

*allows self quick photo dump despite the cathedral not being in this street*

They lived in ‘canon houses’, some of which you can still see on Hradčanské náměstí (https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2024/09/07/prague-1-day-13-hradcanske-namesti/).

From 1911 to 1938, a tram line ran along this street. Anybody who’s walked along it, even when it’s empty, will sense that this was maybe not the best location for one. As kind of proven when three trams collided here in 1913.

https://www.prazsketramvaje.cz/view.php?cisloclanku=2020021001 has some brilliant photos, including one of the aftermath of the accident, and also one showing how much space a modern tram would have going along this route (spoiler: basically none).

This colourful building on the street is Palác Hložků ze Žampachu, a single-storey Baroque palace which is now lived in by the Austrian ambassador.