What's in a Prague street name

Every street in Prague, one by one.


Krč

  • Prague 4, day 265: Zálesí

    Zálesí was built in 1925. Zalesí is behind (za) a forest (les). If you want to know what to call that forest, you’re kind of spoiled for choice: you can call it Kunratický les (colloquially: Kunraťák), Krčský les (colloquially: Krčák) or, in its northwest, Michelský les. As we’ll be going through Krč, Michle and Kunratice Continue reading

  • Prague 4, day 229: Ke Krči 

    Ke Krči was built in 1935. Ke Krči leads (to an extent) towards Krč, a district with about 27,300 inhabitants (about twice as many as either Braník or Podolí). It also has about 135 streets and is in Prague 4, hence my relative silence about the area for now. Continue reading

  • Prague 4, day 226: U Ryšánky

    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 Continue reading

  • Prague 4, day 225: K Ryšánce 

    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 Continue reading

  • Prague 4, day 224: Nad Zemankou 

    Nad Zemankou  was named in 1941. It’s in Braník as well as Krč, but you won’t find a street sign confirming the former. Zemanka (https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2025/10/23/prague-4-day-207-na-zemance/) was such a big deal round here that four streets have been named after it; this is the fourth. Continue reading

  • Prague 4, day 206: Zelený pruh

    Zelený pruh was built in… read on. In 1941, a street, intended to be called Weilburgova, was built. It was named after Jan Weilburg z Widy, who, in the late 1400s, was the highest scribe in the Old Town. We have to assume he was a German speaker, not only because of his name, but Continue reading

  • Prague 4, day 172: Hudečkova

    Hudečkova was built in 1965. Antonín Hudeček was born just outside Ředhošť, near Litoměřice, in 1872. After finishing school in Roudnice, he moved to Prague in 1887 to study at the Academy of Fine Arts (AVU). In 1895 – and after a two-stint of studying in Munich from 1891 to 1893 – he set up Continue reading

  • Prague 4, day 171: Perlitová

    Perlitová was built in 1977. ‘Perlit’ is perlite – an amorphous volcanic glass with a high water content, and which, unusually, expands significantly upon heating. It’s used a lot in construction and manufacturing, for example in ceiling tiles, insulation, concrete and lightweight plasters. In the case of this street, a construction cooperative called Perlit-dom took Continue reading

  • Prague 4, day 156: Jeremenkova

    Jeremenkova has exited in its current form since 1952; before then, it consisted of two separate streets called Dvorecká (built 1906) and Pod vrstami (created 1938). More on those in future posts, as there are still streets with those names. Andrei Ivanovich Yeremenko was born to a peasant family in Markivka, near Kharkiv, in 1892. Continue reading

  • Prague 4, day 104: Pujmanové

    Pujmanové was built in 1962. Marie Hennerová was born in Prague’s New Town in 1893. Her father, Kamil Henner, was a professor at the Law Faculty of Charles University, while her brother, Kamil, later became a renowned neurologist. Moving to České Budějovice in 1912, she married Vlastislav Zátka, a lawyer; the marriage was short-lived, and Continue reading

  • Prague 4, day 102: Na strži

    A ‘strž’ (feminine) is a ravine, or a gully; its synonym, ‘rokle’, is more commonly used. In English, a ravine is typically larger than a gulley, but smaller than a valley. In any case, there was originally a ravine around here. At least as far back as 1841, a road was here which led from Continue reading