What's in a Prague street name

Talafúsova was built in 1935.

Jan Talafús was born around 1410 in Ostrov, near Chrudim (https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2023/06/24/prague-3-day-177-chrudimska/).

Early records of his life are limited, but he is thought to have participated in the Battle of Lipany in 1434 (https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2022/12/23/prague-3-day-120-lipanska/).

Within little over a decade, Talafús would be in charge of Ostrov, as well as having inherited six villages and three towns.

In 1440, he left for Upper Hungary (present-day Slovakia), where he joined the army of Jan Jiskra (https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2025/11/15/prague-4-day-230-jiskrova/), who was protecting the rights ofLadislav Pohrobek (Ladislav the Posthumous).

His feats included the liberation of Košice (1441) and capturing the Hungarian town of Eger in 1442. However, he was subsequently captured and imprisoned for six months, promptly returning to military action upon his release.

In 1445, Talafús became hetman of Chmeľov Castle and, in 1448, of Rychnava. In 1451, he helped Jiskra defeat 20,000 Hungarians at the battle Lučenec.

In 1457, the newly crowned Matthias Corvinus decided it was time to get rid of the Hussite forces. Talafús – at times allied with Jiskra, at times not – continued to fight, but lost more than he won.

In 1463 he returned, destitute, to the Czech lands (hence the Slovak expression ‘biedny ako Talafús’ – wretched as Talafús), where he entered the direct service of George of Poděbrady (https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2023/12/23/prague-3-day-189-namesti-jiriho-z-podebrad/).

Talafús is last mentioned in writing in 1475. Well, that’s the last non-fiction reference during his lifetime: the street is named after him because of the Alois Jirásek trilogy Bratrstvo (The Brotherhood; 1900 to 1909), which is set in Slovakia and where Jiskra and Talafús are the main characters.

Completely irrelevant to the story, but, as Eger has been mentioned, I have to point out that I went there last year and visited Egri Road, a frankly incredible museum dedicated to the Beatles. I could share photos of it all day.