What's in a Prague street name

Every street in Prague, one by one.

1906

  • Prague 4, day 182: K vysoké cestě

    K vysoké cestě was nameless until 1906. K vysoké cestě leads to Vysoká cesta, a road whose name translates as ‘The High Way’ or similar (not a ‘highway’, though, and ‘cesta’ has more than one translation). I would reveal more, but I’m trying to get all the Podolí streets done before I move on to Continue reading

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  • Prague 4, day 155: Dvorecké náměstí

    Dvorecké náměstí was built in 1930. The settlement of Dvorce (German: Dworetrz) was first mentioned in writing in 1222. Originally, its properties were owned by the Vyšehrad Chapter (https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2024/08/24/prague-2-day-94-k-rotunde/), but, during the Hussite Wars, they were taken by the people of Prague, although they would be returned to the Chapter by 1500. In 1547, they Continue reading

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  • Prague 4, day 153: U Kublova

    U Kublova was named in 1906. Until 1947 (with the inevitable break during the Nazi occupation), the street was called Riegrova, as in the early leader of the Czech nationalist movement, František Ladislav Rieger (1818-1903), who’s also given his name to that park in Vinohrady. Kublov, meanwhile, was the name of a settlement round here, Continue reading

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  • Prague 4, day 151: Nad sokolovnou

    Nad sokolovnou was named in 1906. However, the first name – in place until 1947, except during the Nazi occupation – was Strossmayerova, after Josip Juraj Strossmayer (1815-1905), Croatian prelate, politician and benefactor. More on him when we get on to Prague 7. For the current name, you may want to start with the story Continue reading

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  • Prague 4, day 146: Výchozí

    Výchozí was built in 1906. Until 1947, it was called Karlova, after Charles IV, arguably the most impactful Czech of all time. You can read about him on https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2024/10/15/prague-1-day-196-karlova/. One of the words you’ll see a lot across the country is ‘východ’, which translates as ‘exit’. And this street acts as something of an exit Continue reading

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  • Prague 4, day 143: Nedvědovo náměstí

    Nedvědovo náměstí was nameless until 1906. From 1906 to 1934, the square was called Komenského náměstí, of which there is still one in Prague 3: https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2022/11/26/prague-3-day-82-komenskeho-namesti/. From 1934 to 1948, it was called Podolské náměstí. Miloš Nedvěd was born in 1908. His father, František Nedvěd, would later co-found the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia in the early Continue reading

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  • Prague 4, day 141: Podolská

    Podolská was built in 1906. In 1222, the royal chapter at Vyšehrad (see https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2024/08/24/prague-2-day-94-k-rotunde/ for a little bit on that) published its founding charter. This mentioned that the chapter owned a court at Podolí – and makes it the oldest written mention of Podolí that we have. The settlement had its own church, (see https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2025/07/10/prague-4-day-140-pod-vysehradem/, Continue reading

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  • Prague 4, day 117: Na Klaudiánce

    Na Klaudiánce was built in 1906. The street sign is missing the accent mark, but everything else I can find suggests it should be there. Originally, there were vineyards around here, owned by the Vyšehrad Chapter (https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2024/08/24/prague-2-day-94-k-rotunde/). Eventually – no later than 1843 – a farmstead appeared in the area. Its name was Klaudiánka. Later, Continue reading

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  • Prague 4, day 96: Mikuláše z Husi

    Mikuláše z Husi was built in 1906. Until 1940, and again from 1945 to 1947, the street was known as Husova – as is a street in Prague 1: https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2024/10/05/prague-1-day-169-husova/. Mikuláš z Pístného was born around 1375, and the earliest written reference we have to him is from 1389. In 1406, King Václav/Wenceslas IV made Continue reading

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  • Prague 4, day 42: V Horkách

    V Horkách was built in 1906. A ‘hora’ is a mountain; a ‘horka’ is the diminutive form thereof. And the surrounding area was known as ‘Horky’ – the small mountains – at least as far back as 1841. I’m not finding it massively ‘mountainous’ here, but I guess everything’s relative. It’s also the name of Continue reading

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  • Prague 2, day 109: Studničkova

    Originally published on X on 27 February 2023. Studničkova was built in 1906. Until 1947, this was Preslova, after Jan Svatopluk Presl (1791-1849), a botanist who taught zoology and mineralogy at Charles University. František Karel Studnička was born in Prague in 1870. He graduated from the Faculty of Medicine at Charles University in 1895. Four Continue reading

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  • Prague 3, day 159: Novovysočanská

    Originally published on Twitter on 29 September 2022. Novovysočanská was built in 1906. We’re at the ‘streets I didn’t realise were partially in Prague 3 / Žižkov’ stage of things. In my defence, there isn’t actually a single street sign in the Prague 3 part of Novovysočanská, and this pic is the nearest I can Continue reading

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  • Prague 3, day 57: Na Vackově

    Originally posted on Twitter on 19 June 2022. Na Vackově was built in 1906. It was called Vackov until 1925, when its name underwent a subtle change. Vackov is another district of Žižkov, located directly west of Jarov (see https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2022/11/19/prague-3-day-30-na-jarove/). Until 1949, Vackov was part of Praha XIII – Staré Strašnice. Vackov is named after Continue reading

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