Galleries
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Prague 1, day 243: Anežská
Originally published on X on 1 June 2024. Přemysl Otakar I was Duke of Bohemia from 1192 to 1193, and again from 1197 to 1198. In the latter year, he became the third King of Bohemia, and would stay as such until 1230. He was the first ruler of Bohemia who inherited the title of Continue reading
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Prague 1, day 229: U Staré školy (The Old School)
Originally published on X on 15 May 2024. The oldest Jewish settlements in Prague were probably on Malá Strana and near Vyšehrad. The Vyšehrad one disappeared around the end of the 11th century. The one in Malá Strana, meanwhile, was burned down in 1142, when Conrad III of Germany laid siege to Prague Castle. The Continue reading
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Prague 1, day 190: Staroměstské náměstí (Old Town Square)
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 Continue reading
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Prague 1, day 114: Vodičkova
Originally published on X on 15 January 2024. Helena Vodičkova, a singer, was born in 1947 in… no, sorry, my mistake. The street was founded around the same time as the New Town (1348), and was originally known as Pasířská (see https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2024/09/14/prague-1-day-102-mikulandska/ to find out what a ‘pasíř’ is). The name later changed to Stará Continue reading
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Prague 1, day 103: Voršilská
Originally published on X on 4 January 2023. Svatá Voršila is known to English-speakers as Saint Ursula; we don’t know much about her other than that, in 383 AD, she, along with a group of virgins, was beheaded by the Huns in Cologne, where the main church devoted to her is now located. We also Continue reading
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Prague 1, day 48: Pod Bruskou
Originally published on X on 24 October 2023. In the Middle Ages, there was a path here, known as ‘Myší díra’ (Mouse hole) due to its winding nature. In the 1600s, a certain Albrecht z Valdštejna (https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2024/09/08/prague-1-day-46-valdstejnske-namesti/) had the path converted into a proper road, capable of being used by heavy goods vehicles. The name Continue reading
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Prague 1, day 13: Hradčanské náměstí
Originally published on X on 7 September 2023. In the 1230s, Prague’s Old Town became a municipality. In the 1250s, the Lesser Town, better known as Malá Strana, would follow. Meanwhile, the area to the west of Prague Castle remained forested, with a road leading to Strahov, and then to Břevnov. This would change in Continue reading
What's in a Prague street name 