Judaism
-
Prague 4, day 215: U Šálkovny
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 Continue reading
-
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
-
Prague 1, day 219: U starého hřbitova (The Old Cemetery)
Originally published on X on 5 May 2024. This might be the Old (Jewish) Cemetery, but it’s not the oldest in Prague – we know that there was another one in the present-day New Town, dating back to at least 1254: https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2024/09/14/prague-1-day-107-charvatova/. King Vladislav II had that one closed down in 1478. However, this cemetery Continue reading
-
Prague 1, day 218: Červená
Originally published on X on 4 May 2024. I’m not in Prague today, but if you are, and have cleaning tools and a ladder, here’s an idea for a fun day out. ‘Červená’ means ‘red’. Jewish butchers had their shops round here, and these were painted red. Originally, the street was called Řeznická (a ‘řezník’ Continue reading
-
Prague 1, day 216: Jáchymova
Originally published on X on 2 May 2024. According to Christianity, Joachim lived from about 100-75 BC to about 10 BC, i.e. not quite long enough to become the world’s braggiest grandparent, because his daughter was Mary, and his grandson was, therefore, Jesus. Among the more well-known variants of his name, we have Joaquín (Spanish), Continue reading
-
Prague 1, day 215: Maiselova
Originally published on X on 1 May 2024. Mordecai Meisel was born in Prague in 1528 (the oldest mention of a member of the Meisel family living in Prague dates from 1425). Moredcai, meanwhile, is first mentioned in writing in 1569; he was a banker and businessman who eventually became a member of the court Continue reading
-
Prague 1, day 214: Široká
Originally published on X on 30 April 2024. Starting this story a bit to the north: Štvanice is an island between Karlín and Holešovice; you’re most likely to know it for its tennis arena which hosts the WTA Prague Open. Anyway, once upon a time, there was a ford at Štvanice, and there was a Continue reading
-
Prague 1, day 203: U Radnice
Originally published on X on 16 April 2024. In the 14th century, this street became part of the marketplace that we now know as Old Town Square (https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2024/10/12/prague-1-day-190-staromestske-namesti-old-town-square/). Sellers of bridles (Czech: uzdy) operated here, and the street became known as V uzdářích or Pod uzdáři for a couple of hundred years. Back on current-day Continue reading
-
Prague 1, day 130: Jeruzalémská
Originally posted on X on 1 February 2024. Back in the early days of the New Town, this street was called Sedmihrady, which is Czech for Transylvania (see also: the German ‘Siebenbürgen’), and if you want to know a little bit about Czechs in Romania, take a look at https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2024/06/30/prague-2-day-52-rumunska/. However, it’s more likely that Continue reading
-
Prague 1, day 116: Školská
Originally published on X on 17 January 2024. In the very early days of Prague’s New Town, this was known as Jáma, V jámě or Nad jámou (see yesterday’s https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2024/09/15/prague-1-day-115-v-jame/). As there was a Jewish cemetery nearby (see https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2024/09/14/prague-1-day-107-charvatova/), the local Jewish population moved here, and the street was renamed Židovská. However, they were pushed Continue reading
-
Prague 1, day 107: Charvátova
Originally published on X on 8 January 2024. Prague’s New Town was founded in 1348; of its early citizens, we know that there was one called Jakub Charvát. We can also assume he was quite well-off, because, in 1378, he bought two houses (now at numbers 33 and 34 on this street), as well as Continue reading
-
Prague 3, day 168: Votická
Originally published on Twitter on 8 October 2022. Votička was built in 1925. Votice is a town of 4,500 people in the Benešov District, about 60 km from Prague. It’s within a mountainous region known as ‘Česká Sibiř’ / ‘Czech Siberia’. It was first mentioned in writing in 1359, but had probably existed for over Continue reading
-
Prague 3, day 160: Pod židovskými hřbitovy
Originally published on Twitter on 30 September 2022. Pod židovskými hřbitovy was built in 1981 (like me). Another belated ‘oh, that’s Prague 3’ moment – the only street sign says otherwise, but the northernmost part of the short street is actually in the district. The street name translates as ‘Under the Jewish Cemeteries’, and that’s Continue reading
-
Prague 3, day 99: Izraelská
Originally published on Twitter on 31 July 2022. Izraelská was built in 1945. Until 1995, the street was part of ‘Nad vodovodem’ (‘Above the water pipeline’), which is still located directly to the east of it in Prague 10. Izraelská is directly south of the New Jewish Cemetery. The cemetery founded in 1890, as the Continue reading
-
Prague 3, day 75: Pitterova
Originally published on Twitter on 7 July 2022. Pitterova was part of Chelčického (coming up in a few days) from 1885 until 1996, when it was given a name of its own. Přemysl Pitter was born in Smíchov in 1895. He studied typography in Leipzig in 1911-2, and, after his father’s death a year later, Continue reading
-
Prague 3, day 67: Jilmová
Originally published on Twitter on 29 June 2022. Jilmová was built in 1933. Did you really think we were done with the trees? This is one case where the Czech and English words are actually quite similar – a jilm is an elm. Elms have been in Czech territory for 12,000 years, i.e. even longer Continue reading
What's in a Prague street name 