1910
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Prague 4, day 40: Bartoškova
Bartoškova was built in 1910. Theodor Bartošek was born in Ždánice, in South Moravia, in 1877; his father was a judge. After finishing school in Brno in 1897, he moved to Prague to study law and philosophy, where one of the professors who had the greatest impact on him was one Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk (https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2024/09/01/prague-2-day-156-masarykovo-nabrezi/). Continue reading
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Prague 1, day 12: U Brusnice
Originally published on X on 3 September 2023. U Brusnice was built in 1910. Brusnice is a stream which has three sources, all in the vicinity of Břevnov Monastery. The most important one, Vojtěška, is named after St Vojtěch (or Adalbert of Prague), the country’s patron saint. Legend has it that this was the spot Continue reading
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Prague 2, day 18: Chopinova
Originally published on Twitter on 24 November 2022. Chopinova, built in 1910, was called ‘U Riegrových sadů’ (which it is) until 1965. In 1965, the Polish Fryderyk Chopin Society asked for a street to be named after their idol; in exchange, the Warsaw district of Mokotów got itself an ‘ulica Bedrzycha Smetany’. Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin Continue reading
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Prague 2, day 6: Helénská
Originally published on Twitter on 12 November 2022. Helénská was built in 1910. Until 1937, this was Doudlebská, after Doudleby, a village in České Budějovice District that was the centre of its region until České Budějovice was founded in 1265. The Helénové, meanwhile, are the Hellenes – the inhabitants of Ancient Greece. ‘Greece’ itself, as Continue reading
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Prague 3, day 178: Čáslavská
Originally published on Twitter on 18 October 2022. Čáslavská was built in 1910. Čáslav, population 10,000, is a town in Central Bohemia, in the Kutná Hora district. It was founded in 1264 by Přemysl Otakar II, who I am just going to start assume founded everything, including me. Initially on the side of the Catholics Continue reading
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Prague 3, day 175: Písecká
Originally published on Twitter on 15 October 2022. Písecká was built in 1910. Písek, with 30,000 inhabitants, is the third-largest city in South Bohemia. Its name means ‘sand’, deriving from the gold-bearing sand found on the banks of the Otava River. It was first mentioned in 1243, when Václav I built a castle there, although Continue reading
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Prague 3, day 173: Náměstí Jiřího z Lobkovic
Originally published on Twitter on 13 October 2022. Náměstí Jiřího z Lobkovic was built in 1910. It underwent a pointless name change to Lobkovické náměstí (1940-5). It was then called Náměstí V.I. Čapajeva until 1990. Vasily Chapayev (1887-1919) was a Red Army commander. Soviet propaganda hailed him as a war hero; he also had bugger Continue reading
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Prague 3, day 157: Olšanské náměstí
Originally published on Twitter on 27 September 2022. Olšanské náměstí was built in 1910. For the story of Olšany, the village that was once located here, I’m going to take you to https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2022/11/22/prague-3-day-73-olsanska/. Until 1930, the square was called Radešínovo náměstí, after Vilém z Radešína, who owned Olšany from 1546. For the story of why it Continue reading
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Prague 3, day 145: Škroupovo náměstí
Originally published on Twitter on 15 September 2022. Škroupovo náměstí was built in 1910. Until 1940, and again from 1945-7, this was Smetanovo náměstí, after Bedřich Smetana (1824-84), composer of Má vlast, and often called the father of Czech music. From 1940-5, it was Sukovo náměstí, after Josef Suk (1874-1935), composer and son-in-law of Antonín Continue reading
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Prague 3, day 140: Slavíkova
Originally published on Twitter on 10 September 2022. Slavíkova was built in 1910. Until 1961, this was Grégrova, after Julius Grégr (1831-96), co-founder of the Young Czechs and of Národní listy. Josef Slavík was born in Jince (near Příbram) in 1806. A prodigy on the violin, he was, by the age of nine, the lead Continue reading
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Prague 3, day 137: Chvalova
Originally published on Twitter on 7 September 2022. Chvalova was built in 1910. Known as Závišova until 1947, after Záviš of Falkenstein (1250-ish to 1290), a noble from the Vitkovci clan and foe of Otokar II. Chval z Machovic (first mentioned in 1419, last mentioned in 1433) was one of the first governors of Tábor alongside Continue reading
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Prague 3, day 100: Kališnická
Originally published on Twitter on 1 August 2022. Day 100 already. Huh. Kališnická was built in 1910. A kališník is an Utraquist. The Utraquists were a branch of the Hussites who believed that Eucharist in both kinds (i.e. bread and wine) should be administered to churchgoers. They constituted a majority of Hussites. They were also Continue reading
What's in a Prague street name 