What's in a Prague street name

Originally published on X on 26 February 2024.

Václav Krocín was born in 1532, and grew up in Žatec, later moving to Prague, where his mother owned various properties.

After finishing his studies there in 1560, he started working for the Old Town Municipality, eventually becoming mayor in 1584.

He became known as Václav Krocín starší z Drahobejle in 1587, and became a noble seven years later. He served as mayor until 1605, the year in which he died.

During his tenure, he ordered the construction of a fountain on Old Town Square. Built between 1591 and 1596, it was named Krocínova kašna / the Krocín Fountain.

The fountain was made of red marble – due to its ready availability, but also because it looked good – but this was at the expense of its efficiency, and it soon started to deteriorate.

In the 1850s, there were heated debates about what to do with it, given, in part, the high cost of repairing it; in 1862, it was dismantled, amid much controversy and a declaration by the authorities that Prague City Council had acted illegally in doing so.

On two occasions (1895 and 1915), a reconstruction was planned, but had to be cancelled because too many parts were missing.

Part of the fountain was used as building material for the Žižkov Gas Works; the statues from the central pillar, and some other fragments, were preserved for the National Museum: http://www.praguecityline.cz/kulturni-zivot-v-praze/staromestske-namesti-zanikla-krocinova-kasna-a-jine-kasny.

The whereabouts of about 25% of the fountain remain unknown.