What's in a Prague street name

Originally published on X on 4 April 2024.

On one end of Železná, you had the Old Town’s most important medieval market (https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2024/10/12/prague-1-day-190-staromestske-namesti-old-town-square/)…

…and, on the other end, you had another one which was almost as important (https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2024/10/08/prague-1-day-175-havelska/).

So, it made sense for people with an interest in trade and selling to settle here. Such as traders in iron, i.e. ‘železo’.

The street name ‘Železníků’ can be traced as far back as 1354, but got simplified to its current form in the 15th century.

Meaning it’s sadly nothing to do with Železník (1978-2004), four-time winner of the Velká pardubická steeplechase.

Železník’s mum and dad were called Želatina and Zigeunersohn; Želatina gave birth to Želka, Žeton, Žitomír, Žikava, Žerotín and Železník, proving that animals get more exciting names than we do.

It’s also nothing to do with Železná Sparta, which is the nickname given to Sparta a hundred years ago, when they might have been the best football team in Europe: https://gameofthepeople.com/2023/12/19/100-years-ago-iron-sparta-were-probably-europes-best/.

Železná is largely a thoroughfare for tourists to get from A to B (much as the traders used it once upon a time), but also includes this very worthy addition to Prague: https://www.praguepride.cz/en/events/community-center.