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: Metro
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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…
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Na Pankráci was built in 1900. Even as an ex-Londoner who used to travel to Brussels an awful lot, it somehow took me until 2024 to put two and two together and work out that Pankrác is St Pancras. Pancras of Rome converted to Christianity, and was beheaded for this around 303, aged just fourteen.…
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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 29 June 2024. It’s likely that Florenc first appeared in or soon after 1348, when Charles IV founded the New Town and needed traders to settle in it – so he invited people from, among other places, Florence. The name is first documented in 1392. Florenc became an important transport…
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Originally published on X on 22 April 2024. This is one of the oldest streets in Prague, originally connecting Old Town Square – the city’s main marketplace – with a ford across the Vltava, where the Rudolfinum is now. The street was originally called Svatovalentinská, which there’ll be more about in two threads’ time. Number…
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Originally posted on X on 14 February 2024. A most is a bridge; a můstek is still a bridge, but a smaller one. In the 13th century, there was a bridge near here, leading from the Old Town fortifications across the moat that is now https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2024/09/22/prague-1-day-137-na-prikope/. Also in the 13th century, there was a town…
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Originally published on X on 13 February 2024. A provaz is a rope. And, therefore, a provazník is a rope-maker or rope-weaver. And, to add to the many craftsmen and tradesmen we’ve dealt with recently, rope-weavers set up shop around here, forming their own guild in 1410. The name of the street can be traced…
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Originally published on X on 11 January 2024. Magdalena Artmann was born at the castle in Všeradice, near Beroun, in 1785. After the premature deaths of her father and siblings, she moved to Plzeň with her mother. Until she was 18, Magdalena only spoke German, but then she fell in love with a law graduate…
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Originally published on X on 23 April 2023. Karlovo náměstí (Charles Square, or Karlák if you’re a local) was built in 1348. The square promptly became the centre of the New Town, being called Dobytčí trh (Livestock Market) until 1848. Upon its construction, it was the largest town square not only in Prague, but also…
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Originally published on X on 31 January 2023. Nuselský most – Nusle Bridge – was opened in 1973. The first discussions about building a bridge here occurred at the start of the 20th century, but it took over sixty years – and the appearance of the high rises of Pankrác – for its construction to…
What's in a Prague street name 