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: Fountains
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Originally published on X on 14 April 2024. A long time ago, there was a village here called Na Louži. A ‘louže’ is a puddle or a pool, and the name possibly came from the fact that the area, not being too far from the Vltava, was vulnerable to flooding. In what is now the…
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Originally published on X on 8 April 2024. A street sign that accessorises. I approve. ‘Malé náměstí’ translates as ’Small square’ (and the map above is another excellent reminder that we might translate náměstí as ‘square’, but it doesn’t necessarily need to be shaped like one. And the name – already fairly self-explanatory – makes…
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Published on X on 2 and 3 April 2024 (there was a fair amount to say). Part 1: the history In 1338, John of Luxembourg (King of Bohemia from 1310 to 1346) gave the Old Town permission to build itself a town hall. This seemed like the perfect location, as a major market had existed…
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Originally published on X on 6 March 2024. In this spot, there was once a rotunda devoted to St Lawrence (Vavřinec). In 1230, the Knights Templar bought the land and had the rotunda expanded into a church. Pope Clement V disbanded the Knights Templar in 1312, largely due to the machinations of Philip IV of…
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Originally published on X on 26 February 2024. Václav Krocín was born in 1532, and grew up in Žatec, later moving to Prague, where his mother owned various properties. After finishing his studies there in 1560, he started working for the Old Town Municipality, eventually becoming mayor in 1584. He became known as Václav Krocín…
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Originally published on X on 18 February 2024. Uhlí is coal; a trh is a market. Coal made from wood is charcoal, and, in Czech, that’s dřevěné uhlí (literally ‘wooden coal’). Sales of charcoal took place until the 1800s, when hard coal became more popular. Uhelný trh became a place you’d go to to buy…
What's in a Prague street name 