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: Hotels
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Za Zelenou liškou was built in 1935. Some time before 1720, an inn was built, south of Pankrác (then a village) and near the road that led from Prague to České Budějovice. It had a green fox – a zelená liška – painted on its gable. The fox then gave its name to the inn,…
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Kongresová was built in 1986. In 1971, a spatial plan determined that some sort of ‘service centre’ should be built in this location, which was also the site of improved transport links – Nusle Bridge (https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2024/08/21/prague-2-day-86-nuselsky-most/) would be opened in 1973, and Prague’s first metro line would follow in 1974. After a drawn-out selection procedure…
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Originally published on X on 30 June 2024. Poříčí – meaning ‘Riverside’ – existed as a settlement by the year 1000 (its local church was mentioned in writing in 993: https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2024/11/10/prague-1-day-261-klimentska/). It was mainly settled by German merchants, as demonstrated by the name of the trade route leading through it – Vicus Teutonicum. A second…
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Originally published on X on 12 April 2024. For the name of the street, see https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2024/10/16/prague-1-day-198-krizovnicke-namesti/. And, for evidence of the Knights of the Cross with the Red Star – including the Red Star itself – see this close-up of the monastery building. The monastery takes up a large part of one side of the…
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Originally published on X on 9 April 2024. Charles/Karel/Karl was born in 1316, as the son of John of Bohemia and his wife Elizabeth. Because these family trees aren’t confusing enough, his birth name was actually Václav, but he chose the name Charles at his confirmation. In 1323, his father sent him to France, where…
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Originally published on X on 1 April 2024. In 965, Ibrahim ibn Yaqub, an Arabic-speaking, Sephardi Jewish traveller (and probable merchant) whose family came from what is now Tortosa in Catalonia, travelled to Prague. He wrote about his trip – and what he wrote is the oldest written reference to Prague that we have. He…
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Originally published on X on 26 March 2024. Wenceslas/Václav IV became King of Bohemia in 1378, and, like his father, Charles/Karel IV, originally lived at Prague Castle. Václav’s talents included favouritism, being less popular than his father, and not getting on well with his relatives. Such a relative was Charles’s widow, Elizabeth of Pomerania, who…
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Originally published on X on 23 March 2024. A ‘calta’ is a a type of medieval Bohemian pastry. They had some sort of ‘braided’ design on them, which means I’m currently picturing a hot cross bun, but probably more intricate. Google results for this pastry reveal more hits over in Slovakia than here, where it…
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Originally published on X on 10 February 2024. The oldest documented name for this street, around 1380, is Nová (New) – because, sometimes, these street names just aren’t that creative. On the corner with Na Příkopě, there was once land and gardens belonging to – great word alert – a maltman called Kříž or Křížalova,…
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Originally published on X on 5 February 2024. In the pre-New Town was founded, this street was called Horská, because it led to Kutná Hora. It then became known as Na Dlážděném from 1348, and if I explain that now, I’ll ruin tomorrow’s post. In 1355, a church was built, and dedicated to St Ambrose,…
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Originally published on X on 3 February 2024. Your regular reminder that a ‘náměstí’ is a square, but doesn’t necessarily have to be square in shape. Let’s start with a language lesson: seno is ‘hay’, while váha means both ‘weight’ and ‘weighing machine’. So, a senováha is a hay scale, and this is Hay Scale…
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Originally published on X on 24 and 25 January 2024 (it’s a two-partner). Václav (Wenceslas, as in ‘Good King’) was born around 907, the son of Vratislav (Wrocław-founding) and Drahomíra (pagan; murderous), and the granddaughter of Ludmila (Christian; victim of said murderousness; later saintly) and Bořivoj (the first verifiable Czech leader). He became Prince of…
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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…
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Originally published on X on 21 October 2023. U Zlaté Studně translates as ‘At the Golden Well’. ‘So, where’s the well?’, I heard you ask. And, erm, it isn’t. Or, at least, not anymore, and I don’t know when/if it existed. Although an actual well isn’t here, if you zoom in on the façade of…
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Originally published on X on 22 September 2023. An úvoz is a ‘sunken lane’ or a ‘hollow way’. The longer name for one of these is an úvozová cesta. ‘One of those’ being a road which cuts into the terrain, and is therefore a good bit lower than the land on either side of it.…
What's in a Prague street name 