What's in a Prague street name

Every street in Prague, one by one.

Podolí

  • Prague 4, day 184: Veslařský ostrov

    Veslařský ostrov was first mentioned in 1420. A ‘veslař’ is a rower or oarsman; an ‘ostrov’ is an island. Around here, the riverbed of the Vltava used to get blocked by ice; sand accumulated as a result and, ultimately, this island was formed. The noble Schwarzenberg family set up a raft port and warehouse here; Continue reading

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  • Prague 4, day 182: K vysoké cestě

    K vysoké cestě was nameless until 1906. K vysoké cestě leads to Vysoká cesta, a road whose name translates as ‘The High Way’ or similar (not a ‘highway’, though, and ‘cesta’ has more than one translation). I would reveal more, but I’m trying to get all the Podolí streets done before I move on to Continue reading

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  • Prague 4, day 181: Na Zvoničce

    Na Zvoničce was built around 1934. A ‘zvonička’ is a bell tower. Zvonička was also the name of a farmstead round here, existing until about 1850. I went to Google looking for specifics, but mainly came back realising just how awful (and, somehow, condescending) Google’s AI search results can be, including in Czech. Na Zvoničce Continue reading

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  • Prague 4, day 180: V podhájí

    V podhájí was built in 1911. A ‘háj’ – the plural of which is Háje, as in the last stop on the red metro line – is a ‘grove’, or a dense collection of trees which isn’t big enough to qualify as a forest. I guess a reasonable translation of ‘podhájí’ would be ‘undergrowth’. Once Continue reading

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  • Prague 4, day 179: Za skalkou

    Za skalkou was built in 1925. A ‘skalka’ is a rock garden, or a rockery. It’s the diminutive of ‘skála’, which is a rock or a cliff. Or a crag, if you want multiple options. Once upon a time, the area round here was called Za skalkou (we can find that on maps from around Continue reading

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  • Prague 4, day 178: Gončarenkova

    Gončarenkova was built in 1934. From 1934 to 1952, the street was called Podhájská; from 1952 to 1957, it was called Na Zvoničce; from 1957 to 1973, it was called Na Zvoničce II. I’m saying nothing about those names, as all will become clear in the next few days. Ivan Hryhorovych Hončarenko was born in Continue reading

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  • Prague 4, day 177: U Družstva Práce

    U Družstva Práce was built in 1955. A ‘družstvo’ is a ‘cooperative’ (it’s also a ‘team’). ‘Práce’ is ‘work’, otherwise known as the reason if I ever skip a day in this series. Or a week. Or a month. Putting the two together, a building cooperative called Práce built the houses in this street. Continue reading

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  • Prague 4, day 176: Sitteho

    Sitteho was built in 1955. This is one of those cases where I’d like my (brief) research to tie in with itself a little bit better. The Pražský uličník – AKA my usual first port of all – says that Jindřich Sitte was the progressive headmaster of a school in Braník. It doesn’t say which Continue reading

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  • Prague 4, day 175: Ke Klínku

    Ke Klínku was built in 1955. Despite the street sign, it’s partially in Podolí (we’re officially getting out of Podolí and officially getting into Braník in about ten days). If you want a translation of ‘klín’, take your pick from the following non-exhaustive list: wedge / gore / gusset / lap / knees / crotch. Continue reading

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  • Prague 4, day 174: Kubištova

    Kubištova was built in 1991. Bohumil Kubišta was born Vlčkovice near Hradec Králové in 1884; he was an illegitimate child, and his family was poor. Developing an interest in fine arts while at secondary school in HK, he started studying at Prague’s School of Applied Arts in 1903, but moved to the Academy of Fine Continue reading

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  • Prague 4, day 173: Bohuslava Martinů

    Bohuslava Martinů was built in 1966. Bohuslav Martinů was born in a church in Polička (near Pardubice) in 1890. From 1906 to 1910, he attended the Prague Conservatory, studying the violin, the organ and composition, but didn’t complete his studies, partly because he was much more interested in exploring Prague (Bohuslav, I hear you). However, Continue reading

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  • 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

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  • 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

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  • Prague 4, day 170: Nad kolonií

    Nad kolonií was built in 1947. We’re not out of the emergency colony tales that have been told in recent days: https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2025/09/08/prague-4-day-166-nad-ondrejovem/. In order to compensate for the lack of new content: a ‘kolonie’ would also be a ‘rookery’ (if you’re talking about, for example, ravens, penguins or seals). Continue reading

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  • Prague 4, day 169: V Ondřejově

    V Ondřejově was named in 1935. Emergency colony time again; same one that was discussed, briefly, on https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2025/09/08/prague-4-day-166-nad-ondrejovem/. In order to make sure today’s post isn’t completely devoid of new information: Ondřejov is also the name of a former village which is now part of Prague-East. It’s mainly known for the Ondřejov Observatory, principal observatory Continue reading

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  • Prague 4, day 168: Nad vrstvami

    Nad vrstvami was built in 1926. ‘Nad vrstvami’ literally translates as ‘Above the layers’. On which: see the almost identically-named https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2025/09/06/prague-4-day-164-na-vrstvach/. Continue reading

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  • Prague 4, day 167: V rovinách

    V rovinách was built in 1935. A ‘rovina’ is a ‘plain’, a ‘flat surface’, ‘flat land’, etc. As far back as 1841, there were field tracks in Krč (where the southernmost tip of the road is located) which were called Rovina or V rovinách. I was sceptical – there are some hills round here – Continue reading

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  • Prague 4, day 166: Nad Ondřejovem

    Nad Ondřejovem was named in 1935. In the 1920s, Prague experienced unprecedented growth. For example, Podolí, which had had 4,048 inhabitants in 1910, had 8,097 in 1930, i.e. its population was exactly twice as much, plus one extra person, as it had been twenty years earlier. This kind of population growth meant additional housing was Continue reading

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  • Prague 4, day 165: Dvouramenná

    Dvourammená was built in the 1930s, but not named until 1947. ‘Dvou’ at the start of the word would translate as ‘two’ – ‘dvoupokojový’ means ‘two-roomed’, ‘dvousložkový’ means ‘two-component’, ‘dvourychlostní’ means ‘two-speed’, and so on. Meanwhile, a ‘rameno’ is a shoulder if it’s on you or me, a ‘branch’ if it relates to a river, Continue reading

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  • Prague 4, day 164: Na vrstvách

    Na vrstvách was built in 1935. You can translate ‘vrstva’ in several different ways – it’s a ‘layer’ (e.g. of clothing), or, if we were dealing with paint, it’s a ‘coat’. Then, if you’re talking about society, it’s a stratum or class. In the case of this street name, it would be something like ‘heights’, Continue reading

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