What's in a Prague street name

Every street in Prague, one by one.

recent posts (search bar on main page for about a gazillion more)

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: Composers

  • Prague 4, day 173: Bohuslava Martinů

    Bohuslava Martinů was built in 1966. Bohuslav Martinů was born in a church in Polička (near Pardubice) in 1890. From 1906 to 1910, he attended the Prague Conservatory, studying the violin, the organ and composition, but didn’t complete his studies, partly because he was much more interested in exploring Prague (Bohuslav, I hear you). However,…

  • Prague 1, day 266: Truhlářská

    Originally published on X on 24 June 2024. In the 14th century, the street was named Štercéřská after the owner of one of the houses, but also Hrnčířská after the potters (hrnčíři) who lived and worked there. Continuing the trades and crafts theme that’s been quite prevalent in this series, a ‘truhlář’, also known as…

  • Prague 1, day 265: Soukenická

    Originally published on X on 23 June 2024. ’Sukno’ is the Czech word for ‘broadcloth’ – i.e. plain, dense woven cloth, typically made of wool. These days, it’s mainly used for costumes. In the past, it was used for trousers, skirts, jackets and military uniforms (the Czech for ‘skirt’ is ‘sukně’). Somebody who weaves this…

  • Prague 1, day 221: Dvořákovo nábřeží

    Originally published on X on 7 May 2024. Antonín Leopold Dvořák was born in Nelahozeves, in Mělník District, in 1841, as the eldest of nine children. He started learning the violin at the age of six, also studying music theory, piano and organ during his schooldays. In 1857, he went to Prague to study at…

  • Prague 1, day 206: Kaprova

    Originally published on X on 22 April 2024. This is one of the oldest streets in Prague, originally connecting Old Town Square – the city’s main marketplace – with a ford across the Vltava, where the Rudolfinum is now. The street was originally called Svatovalentinská, which there’ll be more about in two threads’ time. Number…

  • Prague 1, day 157: Novotného lávka

    Originally published on X on 28 February 2024. A text from 1396 mentions ten mills in this location; no later than 1489, they had been joined by a wooden water tower, which was used to provide water from the Vltava to the Old Town. As with nearly every wooden structure that’s come up in these…

  • Prague 1, day 156: Smetanovo nábřeží (Smetana Embankment)

    Originally published on X on 27 February 2024. Bedřich Smetana (baptised as Fridrich) was born in Litomyšl in 1824. His father František was a prolific brewer (and played violin in a quartet) while his mother Barbora was a relative of the Baroque composer Jiří Ignác Linek (and was a dancer). Bedřich, meanwhile, started violin and…

  • Prague 1, day 20: Nový Svět (New World)

    Originally published on X on 18 September 2023. Nový Svět was originally a village, developing outside Hradčany in the early 1300s, and, in 1360, being attached to it as ordered by Charles IV. Not surprisingly, many of its residents worked at the Castle. And its attachment to Hradčany is why it became known as a…

  • Prague 2, day 108: Votočkova

    Originally published on X on 26 February 2023. Like yesterday’s Hlavova, the area was built up gradually and the street got a name in 1963. Emil Votoček was born in Hostinné in 1872. He studied technical engineering at what is now ČVUT, and subsequently studied in both Mulhouse and in Göttingen (where he studied sugar…

  • Prague 2, day 84: Ostrčilovo náměstí

    Originally published on X on 29 January 2023. Ostrčilovo náměstí was built in 1900. Until 1947, this was Přemyslovo náměstí, after Přemysl Oráč, AKA Where It All Began (see recent posts for brief details). From 1947 to 1952, it was Hašlerovo náměstí, after Karel Hašler (1879-1941), a songwriter and actor (and supporter of Czech fascism…),…

  • 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…

  • Prague 3, day 188: Laubova

    Originally published on Twitter on 28 October 2022. Laubova was built in 1896. Nikki Lauba (1949-2019) was a Formula One driver from the old Austro-Hungarian Empire. No, sorry, wait. Until 1952, the street was called Vilímovská, possibly after a vineyard. There’s a street with the same name in Dejvice. Ferdinand Laub was born in 1832…

  • Prague 3, day 147: Blodkova

    Originally published on Twitter on 17 September 2022. Blodkova was built in 1905. Vilém Blodek was born into a poor family in Prague in 1834. He graduated from the Prague Conservatory at the age of 19, subsequently becoming a piano teacher in Lubycza Królewska (then Galicia, now in south-eastern Poland on the Ukrainian border). He…

  • Prague 3, day 146: Zvonařova

    Originally published on Twitter on 16 September 2022. Zvonařova was built in 1904. Josef Leopold Zvonař was born near in Kublov near Beroun in 1824. At the age of 18, he moved to Prague to train to study pedagogy, but, as he was already proficient in several instruments, music was a greater attraction. Therefore, he…

  • Prague 3, day 144: Pospíšilova

    Originally published on Twitter on 14 September 2022. Pospíšilova was built in 1904. It was called Dvořákova until 1930. Explanation probably not needed. Karel Pospíšil was born near Chotěboř in 1867, and was taught music by both his grandfather, Josef Pospíšil, and his uncle, the famous pianist Karel Slavkovský. He became a teacher in a…

  • Prague 3, day 143: Fibichova

    Originally published on Twitter on 13 September 2022. Fibichova was built in 1904. From 1940 to 1945, this was Ševčíkova. Fibichova is to the right of Ševčíkova (https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2023/01/14/prague-3-day-142-sevcikova/). Except Current Ševčíkova wasn’t called Ševčíkova until 1947. Blimey. Zdeněk Fibich was born in Všebořice near Benešov in 1850. Encouraged by his music-loving (and Austrian) mother, he…

  • Prague 3, day 141: Křížkovského

    Originally published on Twitter on 11 September 2022. Křížkovského was built in 1910. Karel Křížkovský was born to a single mother in Holasovice (not a typo) in 1820, and was brought up by his uncles in Neplachovice near Opava. In his youth, he became a chorister at the Church of St. Ducha in Opava, later…

  • Prague 3, day 136: Ježkova

    Originally published on Twitter on 6 September 2022. Ježkova was built in 1896. Until 1940, and again from 1945 to 1947, this was Nerudova, after Jan Neruda (1834-91), journalist, author, poet, and main figure of the Májovci, a group of Czech novelists and poets inspired by the works of Mácha, Havlíček and Erben. From 1940…

  • Prague 3, day 135: Čajkovského

    Originally published on Twitter on 5 September 2022. Čajkovského was built in 1885. Known as Tomkova until 1952, after Václav Vladivoj Tomek (1818-1905), a historian, conservative politician and archivist, best known for his twelve-volume Dějepis města Prahy (History of the City of Prague). Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-93), meanwhile, as composer of Swan Lake, the Nutcracker…

  • Prague 3, day 131: Vita Nejedlého

    Originally published on Twitter on 1 September 2022. Vita Nejedlého was built in 1885. This one’s been through its fair share of other names. Until 1940, and again from 1945 to 1947, it was Veleslavínova, after Daniel Adam z Veleslavína (1546-99), lexicographer, publisher, translator and secret member of the Unitas Fratrum (https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2022/11/26/prague-3-day-83-ceskobratrska/). From 1940 to…