What's in a Prague street name

Originally published on X on 13 March 2024.

A ‘jalovec’ is a juniper. Junipers are quite popular in the Czech Republic as ornamental trees.

Number 3 on the street (pictured) is called U Jalovcového stromu (The Juniper Tree). The street then got its name from that; the photo also makes it clear that Jalovcová is pretty short, and unlike its neighbours, not crowded.

Things the street is not named after include Jalovec, the sixth-highest mountain in Slovenia, Jalovec, a village in Slovakia, and Jalovec, an… other village in Slovakia.

Juniper berries are ‘jalovcové bobule’ or ‘jalovčinky’, whereas ‘jalovcová’, the feminine adjective, can also refer to juniper brandy.