What's in a Prague street name
Every street in Prague, one by one.
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I could talk about myself for ages, or I could point out that https://english.radio.cz/ed-ley-englishman-recording-stories-pragues-streets-one-one-8806941 is over two years old but still largely stands (other than the Twitter links).
Category: 1930
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Na Borovém was built in 1930. A ‘bor’ is a pine; ‘borový’ is therefore the adjective, and a ‘borový les’ is a pine forest. There was once one round here, eventually replaced by the Krč housing estate. The forest was generally known as ‘Borový’ (no les), hence the street name. Obviously, that forest is long…
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V pláni was built in 1930. A ‘pláň’ is not too different to its English translation – a plain – and this street is on one.
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Nad hájem was built in 1930. Very easy one today: ‘Nad hájem’ is, quite literally, above a grove.
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Na výspě was built in 1930. No historical novels today: a ‘výspa’ is a promontory, outpost or headland, and the street is located on one.
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Rybářská was built in 1930. Recent posts such as https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2025/07/05/prague-4-day-137-podolske-nabrezi/ and https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2025/07/06/prague-4-day-138-podolsky-pristav/ remind us that we are by the Vltava. Also historically spending a lot of time by the river? Fishermen, or, in Czech, rybáři. If you’re into a bit of fishing/angling (rybářství) yourself, you will need a rybářský prut (a fishing rod), a fishing…
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U Křížku was built in 1930. A ‘křížek’ is a small cross (a regular-sized cross is a ‘kříž’), and this was once the name of… something round here, probably involving the Holy Cross. There’s a hill originally named after the Holy Cross, and colloquially also known as Křížek, in Prague 3, and, if you live round…
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Originally published on X on 22 January 2023. Na Folimance was built in 1930. Folimanka, a vineyard, was first mentioned in writing way back in 1353. It was owned by one Jakub Foliman. An orchard of apricots was added within the following century, and, in the 19th century, a homestead was created here. In 1918,…
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Originally published on Twitter on 19 October 2022. Květná was built in 1930. ‘Květná’ is an adjective derived from the word ‘květ’, which means flower. This is also why ‘May’ in Czech is ‘květen’. However, it’s not an adjective I’ve ever seen elsewhere – ‘floral’ would typically be ‘květinový’ or, less typically, ‘květovaný’. The street…
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Originally published on Twitter on 27 June 2022. Biskupcova was built in 1930. Mikuláš z Pelhřimova, or Nikolaus von Pelgrims, *or* Mikuláš Biskupec (1385-1459 approx.) was born in, yes, Pelhřimov, but started studying in Prague around 1406. Around this time, he became a devoted follower of Jan Hus. In 1415, he was ordained as a…
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Originally published on Twitter on 20 May 2022. Loudova was built in 1930. Matěj Louda z Chlumčan (died 1460) was commander of Písek, a Hussite warrior and diplomat, and owner of a farm in Chlumčany near Louny. He studied at Charles University. He didn’t complete his studies, but he did became aware of Jan Hus’s…
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Originally published on Twitter on 19 May 2022. Viklefova was built in 1930. It’s named after John Wycliffe (1320-1384-ish), an English theologian, and one of the first to translate the Bible into Middle English, though historians say he may not have done much of the translation himself. Wycliffe also wrote that papal claims of temporal…
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Originally published on Twitter on 18 May 2022. Buchovcova was built in 1930. Zbyněk Buchovec z Buchova (died 1436?) was a Hussite warrior and commander (hejtman). Coming from a peasant family, he was elected one of the four governors of the newly founded town of Tábor in 1420 (one of the other three being Jan Žižka).…
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Rečkova was built in 1930. The name has nothing to do with Greece, which is Řecko in Czech (sometimes when I’m whizzing past here on the tram, I mistakenly think it’s called Řeckova, and yes, that name would make no grammatical sense). Jan Reček z Ledče was a maltster and a well-to-do citizen of Prague’s…
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Originally posted on Twitter on 28 April 2022. Šikmá was built in 1930. This street heads north-west off of Koněvova, whereas the streets we’ve covered so far point north-east. So it’s appropriate that ‘šikmý’ is an adjective that translates as ‘oblique’, ‘slanting’ or ‘inclined’. The most famous thing that uses the adjective is not this…
What's in a Prague street name 