What's in a Prague street name

Originally published on X on 5 March 2024.

A ‘zábradlí’ is a banister, railing, handrail or balustrade.

In the context of this street, there was once a church on the corner called Church of St. John the Baptist ‘Na zábradlí’. It was built around 1130.

It was most likely part of the wall that was in place to protect the Old Town from the Vltava – and the ‘zábradlí’ is probably a reference to a gate or something within these fortifications.

However, it survived longer than the fortifications did – they were destroyed in 1367. The church, which was closed down in 1789 and turned into a residential building, was destroyed in 1896.

The first thing you might think of when you hear ‘Na Zabradlí’ is the theatre of the same name.

Founded in 1958, it gained national and international recognition in the 1960s, largely due to its promotion of the theatre of the absurd.

The driving force behind this? A dramaturg and playwright called Václav Havel (https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2024/09/14/prague-1-day-104-namesti-vaclava-havla/).

After he left in 1968 – not of his own volition, of course – the theatre became something of a refuge for film directors of the Czech New Wave who had found themselves no longer able to make films.

One of the plaques on the façade is a tribute to Havel.

One of the theatre’s most renowned actors, Karel Heřmánek, took his own life in August 2024: https://czechmovie.com/blogs/about-czech-films/actor-karel-hermanek-passes-away-a-remarkable-career-in-czech-theatre-and-film.