What's in a Prague street name

Originally published on X on 23 June 2024.

’Sukno’ is the Czech word for ‘broadcloth’ – i.e. plain, dense woven cloth, typically made of wool.

These days, it’s mainly used for costumes. In the past, it was used for trousers, skirts, jackets and military uniforms (the Czech for ‘skirt’ is ‘sukně’).

Somebody who weaves this cloth would be a ‘soukeník’ (a weaver, or, in British English, a draper); the street got its name from the workers who were doing their trade here in the 15th century.

În 1548 and 1643, most or all of the buildings in the street were destroyed by fire.

One of the buildings that didn’t survive was the birthplace of Václav Hollar (https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2023/02/28/prague-3-day-163-hollarovo-namesti/).

Also born in the street was the composer Karel Bendl, in 1838.

In 1762, Soukenická was the location of Prague’s first maternity hospital: https://ct24.ceskatelevize.cz/clanek/domaci/tradice-prazskych-porodnic-je-pripisovana-marii-terezii-291419.