What's in a Prague street name

Originally published on X on 16 November 2023.

Hrozny are ‘grapes’, not to be confused with hrozný, which means ‘awful’. And hroznová is the feminine adjective from hrozny, meaning that this is Grape Street.

We’re not in a vineyard here – though come to Kampa during one of its French markets and you’d be forgiven for thinking there was one nearby – but Number 2 was originally a Renaissance building called ‘U Zlatého hroznu’ / ‘The Golden Grape’.

Hroznová also includes Humlův dům (Baroque-classicist; built from 1769 to 1774), built by one Matyáš Hummel. It was later owned by Jiří Trnka (1912-1969), a puppet-maker once called ‘the Walt Disney of Eastern Europe’ (insert your rage about ‘Eastern’ here).

Going back to the start, kyselé hrozny are ‘sour grapes’, which is an excuse to post my favourite Simpsons quote of all time.