What's in a Prague street name

At the date of writing, this street was still under construction, which means this was the best photo I could get.

Jan Josef z Vrtby was born in 1669, part of the noble Vrtba family. Already in an advantageous social position, his prestige increased yet further in 1690 when he married Susanne Antonia Heussenstamm, a countess (side note: they were already related enough for permission from the Pope to be needed before the wedding could go ahead).

Having inherited part of the village of Dolní Nusle, he purchased the remaining part around this time, and, in 1694, had a brewery built, as well as a one-story château.

Jan Josef also become hugely powerful within Bohemia: in 1712, he was chosen as Supreme Burgrave of Prague Castle – making him the territory’s most important land official and head of the Bohemian Diet. In 1723, he became Treasurer of Bohemia.

After Susanne’s premature death in 1715, Jan Josef never remarried, finding solace by becoming a patron of the arts; among those that he provided financial support to was one Antonio Vivaldi.

He died in 1734.

The château he had constructed in Nusle is no more, but we’ll go into further detail on that in a few days. The brewery, meanwhile, still exists.

Finally purchased from the Vrtba family in 1857 by a local, Antonín Procházka, it was then bought by the Prague Credit Bank in 1897.

Brewing beer until 1963, its buildings are now mainly used to process and cultivate wine. The area around here, dilapidated for some time, is now being converted into a residential district; the listed buildings of the brewery complex are going to be renovated and revitalised.