What's in a Prague street name

Every street in Prague, one by one.

Lhotka

  • Prague 4, day 322: U vodotoku

    U vodotoku was built in 1935. U Vodotoku (which we’d translate as something like ‘watercourse’) is a pond on the Zátišský stream, created in the 1960s at the same time as many surrounding housing estates. Given the dates, we have to assume that the street was named after the various waterways round here, and the… Continue reading

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  • Prague 4, day 321: Nad koupadly

    Nad koupadly was built in 1935. We’ve been near the bathing area round here: https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2026/02/22/prague-4-day-317-u-lazni/. We’ve then been near it again: https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2026/02/24/prague-4-day-319-u-koupadel/. And now we’re above it. Remind me to take some more pictures round here in the summer, it’s probably quite a different experience. Continue reading

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  • Prague 4, day 320: Židlického

    Židlického was built in 1986. Vlasta Židlický was a member of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, and, during WW2, was a member of the illegal Union of Friends of the Soviet Union (Svazu přátel Sovětského svazu). Due to his opposition to the Nazi occupation, he was executed on 6 February 1944. Continue reading

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  • Prague 4, day 318: U propusti

    U propusti was built in 1935. A ‘propust’ is a sluice, i.e. a sliding gate or other device used to control the flow of water. It can also be translated as, yes, ‘floodgate’. This is relevant here, because the street is (kind of) located between the swimming baths discussed yesterday on https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2026/02/22/prague-4-day-317-u-lazni/ and the Lhotka… Continue reading

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  • Prague 4, day 317: U lázní

    U lázní was built in 1938. ‘Lázně’ (plural) would translate as ‘spa’, ‘watering place’ or ‘health resort’ (all singular). You will most likely know this from trips to Karlovy Vary (hotel view from summer 2021, and therefore my first night away from home for about ten months, below). Prague is not without its lázně (or… Continue reading

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  • Prague 4, day 316: Nad Zátiším

    Nad Zátiším was built in 1941. Just because we’re out of Hodkovičky doesn’t mean we’ve left all our Hodkovičky habits behind: this street is ‘above’ Zátiší, as discussed on on day 301 (https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2026/02/05/prague-4-day-301-k-zatisi/). And 305. and 306. Continue reading

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  • Prague 4, day 315: Ve Lhotce

    Ve Lhotce was built around 1935. Welcome to Lhotka! And where better to start than with a street that is quite literally In It? Lhotka is mentioned in a text from 1245, stating that it belonged, at the time, to the Vyšehrad Chapter (https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2024/08/26/prague-2-day-118-vysehradska/). It’s not clear when the village was founded, but we know… Continue reading

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  • Prague 4, day 285: Na dlouhé mezi

    Na dlouhé mezi was built in 1900 and, despite the pic, is partially in Braník. Until 1941, the street was called V Zátiší, which we’ll discuss in a few days. A ‘mez’ is a ‘limit’ or a ‘boundary’; it can also be translated as ‘balk’ or ‘baulk’ (a ‘narrow strip of uncultivated land between cultivated fields’).… Continue reading

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  • Prague 4, day 284: Klánova

    Klánova was built in 1925. Václav Klán was born in Černošice (nowadays in Prague-West) in 1839. He was working as a clerk in Zbraslav when an aunt left him some rocky land in Radotín (nowadays in Prague 16). He later sold this to a mining company (Radotín is famed for its limestone), making a nice… Continue reading

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  • Prague 4, day 276: Novodvorská

    Novodvorská was created in 1935 through the merger of two streets: Hlavní (Main) and Vozová (which is related to ‘vůz’, meaning wagon). Once upon a time, there was a farmstead (in present-day Lhotka, also in Prague 4). Its name was Nový dvůr (New Court). It later became a monastery. After that, it served, at different… Continue reading

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  • Prague 4, day 272: Jílovská

    Jílovská was built in 1947. The earliest mention we have of Jílová is from the 1200s, when it was a mining settlement (the writer wanted us to think the document was from 1045, but it turns out that it’s a forgery). In the 1320s, it was described as a ‘royal gold-mining town’; around 1350, Charles… Continue reading

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  • 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

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