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: Farmsteads
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Pod Jalovým dvorem was built in 1947. It was called Pod Jalovým dvorem II until 1968 – which suggests this is quite an old street sign. Once upon a time, were four farmsteads here. Initially isolated, they became part of Upper Krč (https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2026/05/30/prague-4-day-390-hornokrcska/) and collectively became known as Jalový Dvůr. Jalový Dvůr translates as ‘the…
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Nad Ryšánkou was built in 2000. This excites me more than it should – I’ve covered 1,055 streets so far (blimey), without coming across a single one built in the period from 1999 to 2006. Anyway, this one harks back to a street which is nearby, but which we discussed way back in November 2025:…
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K Novému dvoru was built in 1925. K Novému dvoru is named after the former farmstead Nový dvůr (New Court), as is the nearby main road, Novodvorská (https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2026/01/11/prague-4-day-276-novodvorska/). From 1925 to 1930, the street was called Mikoláše Aleše, after one of the greatest Czech painters; you can learn more about him on https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2024/10/22/prague-1-day-210-alsovo-nabrezi-ales-embankment/ (which is…
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Novodvorská was created in 1935 through the merger of two streets: Hlavní (Main) and Vozová (which is related to ‘vůz’, meaning wagon). Once upon a time, there was a farmstead (in present-day Lhotka, also in Prague 4). Its name was Nový dvůr (New Court). It later became a monastery. After that, it served, at different…
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U Ryšánky was built in 1935. Until 1957, U Ryšánky was part of Na usedlosti (https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2025/11/05/prague-4-day-220-na-usedlosti/). For the story of Ryšánka, see yesterday’s post: https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2025/11/10/prague-4-day-225-k-rysance/. Ryšánka has also given its name to the surrounding area. The number 13 tram ran round here from 1938 to 1970, when it was closed, as the red line of…
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K Ryšánce was built in 1925. This area was originally covered by vineyards. Around 1858, a neo-Gothic farmstead was built here, joining nearby farmsteads such as Dobeška (https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2025/10/08/prague-4-day-192-na-dobesce/) and Zemanka (https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2025/10/23/prague-4-day-207-na-zemance/). The residential building was converted into a chateau around 1860; the owner at the time was one Mr Ryšánek. The farmstead, which had initially been…
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Nad Šálkovnou was built in 1981. Eight days ago, we looked at the former farmstead known as Šálkovna: https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2025/10/31/prague-4-day-215-u-salkovny/. As part of the cooperation between Prague 4 and Pankrác Prison, prisoners have recently been repairing the fence in the street, helping not only the residents but also helping the prisoners to reintegrate into society: https://www.vs.gov.cz/organizacni-jednotky/vazebni-veznice-praha-pankrac/clanky/detail/vv-a-upvzd-praha-pankrac-spolupracuje-s-mc-praha-4.
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Na usedlosti was built in 1935. An ‘usedlost’ is a homestead, a farmstead or an estate. In English, the difference between a homestead and a farmstead is that the former intends to feed its own inhabitants, whereas the latter’s role is agricultural production. Czech makes no distinction between the two, which is why I’ve been…
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Nad Křížkem was built in 1938. In the late 1800s, a Neo-Renaissance chateau, with quite an irregular form, was built round here on the site of an earlier building; it was named Na Křížku (‘At the small cross’). It originally served as a farmstead. However, in the early 20th century, it was turned into a…
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U Šálkovny was built in 1935. Vineyards existed around here at least as far back as 1400. About four hundred years later, a farmstead was set up here by an owner called Mr Šálek. Šálek was Jewish and, for a time, the farmstead included a synagogue. After World War One – by which time the…
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Zemanka was built in 1968. I’ve got an early start tomorrow, so it’s quite nice to be able to just put you in the direction of https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2025/10/23/prague-4-day-207-na-zemance/ and head to bed.
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Na Zemance was built in 1935. A vineyard was probably in place here as far back as the Middle Ages. It survived several centuries, but took a bit of a beating in the War of the Austrian Succession (1740 to 1748). Reduced from being a vineyard to just being a field, it was purchased by…
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Na Zvoničce was built around 1934. A ‘zvonička’ is a bell tower. Zvonička was also the name of a farmstead round here, existing until about 1850. I went to Google looking for specifics, but mainly came back realising just how awful (and, somehow, condescending) Google’s AI search results can be, including in Czech. Na Zvoničce…
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Za Pekařkou was built in 1978. You might have guessed where this is going. Pod Pekařkou is below what was once Pekařka, a farmstead (https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2025/09/02/prague-4-day-160-pod-pekarkou/). Nad Pekařkou is above the same former farmstead (https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2025/06/16/prague-4-day-119-nad-pekarkou/). And Za Pekařkou is behind it. To see what the crossroads of Pod and Za looked like in 1989, take a…
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Pod Pekařkou was built in 1935. On day 119, we learnt about Pekařka, a 19th-century farmstead. That day’s street – Nad Pekařkou – was above where the farmstead once stood (https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2025/06/16/prague-4-day-119-nad-pekarkou/). Pod Pekařkou is, yes, beneath said farmstead (and is about 35-40 years older than Nad Pekařkou. The perils of covering these streets in an…
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Nad Pekařkou was named in 1972. ‘Pekařka’ translates as ‘baker’ (female). It was also the name of a farmstead which came into being in the early 1800s and was located around here. It later gained an inn, Na Pekařce. In the second half of the 20th century, the area was used by Polygrafia, a printing…
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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,…
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Na Klikovce was built in 1937. Klikovka was a homestead that existed round here, near St Pancras’ Church (see https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2025/04/25/prague-4-day-84-na-pankraci/ for a bit more on that). A map of Nusle from 1914 indicates that, by that time, it was gone. I got excited a minute ago, because I thought I’d found a lot more information…
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Na Bučance was built in 1935. Josef Ignác Franz Buček was born in Příbor, then known as Freiberg, in 1741. He studied philosophy in Olomouc and Vienna, later becoming a professor of economic sciences at the University of Prague. Around the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries, he built a farmstead round here, with…
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Originally published on Twitter on 25 November 2022. Na Švihance was built in 1908. I’m not managing to work out what švihanka translates as, though. Švihat is to whip or flick (which leads to průšvih – trouble), and for the sake of people, horses and cream, I hope this isn’t the origin. (OK, I may…
