What's in a Prague street name

Originally published on X on 29 April 2024.

A ‘rejdiště’ is a riding stable – in modern Czech, we would call this a ‘jízdárna’ – and one was inaugurated around here in 1660.

More specifically, ‘around here’ means ‘number 2 Alšovo nabřezí’ (https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2024/10/22/prague-1-day-210-alsovo-nabrezi-ales-embankment/), which, nowadays, is called Prádlo or Na Prádle, was built in the first half of the 18th century, and looks like this.

Which – if the building was never used for equine purposes – implies that the riding school didn’t last very long, although it was clearly long enough for the entire area to become known as Na Rejdišti. However, that name wouldn’t be given to the street until 1919.

The earliest recorded name of the street is ‘Na břehu’, which translates as ‘on the bank’.

Then, in 1905, the street was named after ‘U akademického gymnázia’ after the, yes, academic secondary school that was here from 1902 to 1919 (when it moved to Na příkopě; it then moved to Štěpánská (https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2024/09/01/prague-2-day-167-stepanska/) after WW2).

It’s now the Prague Conservatory, whose list of alumni is basically a who’s who of Czech classical music: https://prazskakonzervator.cz/.

Next door, number 2 is Divadlo Na Rejdišti a repertory theatre used by the Conservatory, especially to get students used to being on stage.

While the opposite side of the street – and the only other building on it – offers a different view of the Rudolfinum.