What's in a Prague street name

Originally published on X on 4 December 2023.

Anyone who hoped, after yesterday’s thread, that we’d be avoiding the big topics today may wish to stop reading now – a vítěz / vítězka is a winner, and a vítězství is a victory.

And we’re talking 1918 here, so let’s do a quick rundown (which doesn’t start until the latter stages of the year).

On 14 October in Paris, Edvard Beneš (https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2024/09/08/prague-1-day-53-nabrezi-edvarda-benese/) announced a provisional Czechoslovak government, the first in history, in Paris. The president was Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk (https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2024/09/01/prague-2-day-156-masarykovo-nabrezi/).

A general strike was announced on the same day.

Masaryk drafted the Czechoslovak Declaration of Independence, or the Washington Declaration, on the 16th. He read it in Philadelphia on the 26th.

On the 28th, the Czechoslovak National Committee announced the founding of Czechoslovakia. There were celebrations.

I would say you got a day off for this recently, but, as it fell on a Saturday this year, you quite possibly didn’t.

On 14 November, that provisional Czechoslovak government was replaced by a Real Actual Government of Real Actual Czechoslovakia, and, in the Rudolfinum, Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk was (again) declared president.

But you may struggle to get any pictures of him at that ceremony, given that he didn’t make it back from exile until 21 December.

There was also much tearing down of symbols of Austro-Hungarian rule around this time.

It would be wrong to omit, however, that, the creation of Czechoslovakia was opposed by many Germans and Poles within its borders; in January 1919, a border conflict with Poland would really kick off (https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2024/01/27/prague-2-day-14-polska/).

Vítězná – connected with the equally patriotically-named Národní by the, erm, equally patriotically-named Most Legií (both coming up soon), has had its name since 1928.

When walking I was along the street recently, I was really struck by this building. So elegant, so unused, so in need of some care which I sincerely hope it’s getting (guys, turn it into affordable housing, please).

Meanwhile, I’m going to end this thread by thinking how great it is that the western side of the street once looked a certain way, and now looks a different one: https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2024/09/11/prague-1-day-81-ujezd/.