What's in a Prague street name

U háje was built in 1925.

A ‘háj’ is a a grove; you may also know its diminutive form, ‘hájek’ (but note that, no, Mexican-American actress and producer Salma Hayek doesn’t have secret Czech roots – her father is of Lebanese descent).

This area used to be a grove; while there’s still a good deal of greenery around here, the grove itself is no more.

People familiar with Prague are most likely to hear ‘Háje’ and think of the last stop on the red line of the metro, in Prague 11. This pic is from when I decided to take a picture of every metro station in 2009 – looking back, a clear precursor to this series.