What's in a Prague street name

Originally published on X on 7 November 2023.

A ‘most’ is a bridge. And this street connects a very, very well-known one with Malostranské náměstí (https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2024/09/08/prague-1-day-38-malostranske-namesti/).

This is the Malá Strana Bridge Tower at the end of the street, although your eye may be drawn more to the huge crowds. Mostecká connects Charles Bridge and Malostranské náměstí, but feels more crowded than either.

However, it doesn’t seem that this was ever a quiet street. Not only was it on the Royal Route since time immemorial, but statistics produced by the city council in 1896 mentioned ‘1,700 to 1,900 light and freight cars’ passing here daily. And trams. TRAMS.

If you have the patience to stop and look, there are interesting things on this street though. The Baroque Kounic Palace has been the Embassy of Yugoslavia, FR Yugoslavia, Serbia and Montenegro, and, now, Serbia.

Meanwhile, you might think the fact that I’m posting a picture of McDonald’s on Mostecká means I’ve gone a bit mad. But read on.

That space on the right leads to Cinema 64 U Hradeb – and, would you believe, after its opening in 1964, this was possibly Prague’s best-equipped cinema.

It closed in 2002 – before the floods, and not because of them, although they certainly made things a whole lot worse. Reconstruction work started in 2015.

Absolutely brilliant photos on here: https://filmcommission.cz/en/featured-location-64-u-hradeb/