What's in a Prague street name

Originally published on X on 22 April 2024.

This is one of the oldest streets in Prague, originally connecting Old Town Square – the city’s main marketplace – with a ford across the Vltava, where the Rudolfinum is now.

The street was originally called Svatovalentinská, which there’ll be more about in two threads’ time.

Number 8 on the street is called U Tří kaprů (The Three Carps). And you’d think that would be the reason for the street name, wouldn’t you? Well, you’d be wrong.

Between 1537 and 1783, Prague’s Old Town had 36 mayors (for an example of one, take a look at https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2024/09/29/prague-1-day-155-krocinova/).

Mayor number 11 was Pavel Kapr z Kaprštejna, who was in charge from 1565 to 1567. He bought U Tří kaprů (I can’t tell you if this was because he was amused by the name or not), and the street name followed (‘Kaprovic’ and ‘Kaprová’ were also in use in the 16th century).

A later member of the dynasty, Jan Daniel Kapr z Kaprštejna, wouldn’t be fondly remembered by the Czechs: in 1621, he presided over the trial of the participants in the Estates Uprising, which ultimately led to their execution on Old Town Square.

For those wondering if he lived happily ever after, the answer is a pretty categorical no: in 1625, his wife, Anna Marie, asked to meet up for a rendezvous in Dolní Počernice, but, when Jan was travelling through Hrdlořezy, his wife’s lover, Adam Zapský ze Zap, shot him dead.

They, in turn, were executed in 1626.

Please take these few sentences as your reminder that, yes, people can be terrible, but no, they haven’t just deteriorated massively in the last decade or so.

Back in Josefov and on Kaprova, number 10 was lived in by the legendary pianist and composer, Jaroslav Ježek (https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2023/01/14/prague-3-day-136-jezkova/).

The apartment – now named The Blue Room – is managed by the National Museum, and can be accessed as part of a guided tour on Tuesday afternoons: https://www.nm.cz/en/czech-museum-of-music/jaroslav-jezek-memorial-the-blue-room.

Meanwhile, if you’re on Kaprova and decide you’re done with walking around the centre of Prague for the day, the street offers an escape route.