What's in a Prague street name

Hoffmannova was built in 1925, but remained nameless until 1955.

The whole namelessness thing starts to make sense when you see that it feels more like a ye olde village road than anything else.

Karel Hoffmann was born to a poor family in Smíchov in 1872, initially living near Anděl, then at Bertramka.

As a child, he was given a violin as a way to earn some money from the family; he progressed well and, in 1885, passed the entrance exam for the Prague Conservatory.

He studied there for seven years; in his fifth year, he became concertmaster of the school orchestra, and, in his final year, he became part of a string quartet, on first violin.

When he graduated in 1892, Hoffmann stayed with the quartet, which became known as the České kvarteto. In its most famous incarnation, its other members were Hanuš Wihan (violoncello), Oskar Nedbal (viola) and Josef Suk (second violin).

From 1898, Hoffmann started to give solo concerts, both in Prague and internationally.

In 1899, Hoffmann married Marie Mokrá; they had a daughter, Dagmar, in 1901. Unfortunately, Hoffmann’s focus on his work led his wife to run off with Oskar Nedbal – a Kvarteto member – in 1906. Nedbal was understandably replaced by Jiří Herold in the same year.

World War I seriously dented the Kvarteto’s opportunities, but they started touring internationally again once the war had come to an end (here they are in the Netherlands in 1920).

In 1922, Hoffmann was appointed as a professor of the violin at Prague Conservatory. In 1926, he became its rector.

Josef Suk retired from performing in 1933, and Jiří Herold died in 1934. Hoffmann founded a new group – České trio – but this was short-lived, as, in 1936, Hoffmann died of cancer. He is buried at Vyšehrad.

Since its construction, Hoffmann had been living at this villa on Lopatecká (https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2025/06/27/prague-4-day-129-lopatecka/). It was also used for the Quartet’s rehearsals.

A plaque on the front commemorates Hoffmann’s life.