Poets
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Prague 1, day 269: Havlíčkova
Originally published on X on 27 June 2024. Originally, part of the street was called Florenc – more on that tomorrow – and another part was called Slaměná (‘sláma’ is straw, which was sold round here). In the 1700s, the street became known as Blátivá, then as Na blátě, after the surrounding gardens – ‘bláto’ Continue reading
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Prague 1, day 222: Čechův most
Originally published on X on 8 May 2024. Svatopluk Čech was born in Ostředek, near Benešov, in 1846; his father, František, was a patriot who worked as a journalist in 1848/9, when the Austrian Empire’s first elected parliament operated from Kroměříž. After finishing the Piarist grammar school in Prague (see https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2024/09/22/prague-1-day-137-na-prikope/), Čech started to study Continue reading
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Prague 2, day 171: Hálkova
Originally published on X on 30 April 2023. The street was part of Na Rybníčku (https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2024/09/01/prague-2-day-169-na-rybnicku/) at first, gaining its own status/name in 1886. Vincenc Hálek was born as Vincenc Hálek in Dolínek, nowadays in Prague East, in 1835. He entered a seminary in Prague, but moved to the Academic Gymnasium (on Štěpánská – https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2024/09/01/prague-2-day-167-stepanska/) Continue reading
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Prague 2, day 116: Vinařického
Originally published on X on 6 March 2023. Vinařického was built in 1884. Karel Alois Vinařický, despite his surname, was born into a German-speaking family in Slaný in 1803. It wasn’t until his teens that he started to take an active interest in the Czech language and the national movement. After studying philosophy in Prague, Continue reading
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Prague 2, day 62: Máchova
Originally published on Twitter on 7 January 2023. Máchova was built before 1884. Ignác Mácha* was born on Újezd, on Malá Strana, in 1810. In 1830, he started to study at Charles-Ferdinand University, taking philosophy and law. *He would later change Ignác to Hynek, and, taken with Czech patriotism, also added the doesn’t-get-much-more-Czech Karel. During Continue reading
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Prague 2, day 61: Šafaříkova
Originally published on Twitter on 6 January 2023. Šafaříkova was built around 1880. Pavol Jozef Šafárik was born in Kobeliarovo, near Košice, in 1795. The dramatic landscapes and Slovak folk culture here would impact him significantly. By the age of eight, he had allegedly read the entire Bible twice. He then went to school in Continue reading
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Prague 2, day 56: Koubkova
Originally published on X on 1 January 2023. Koubkova was built in 1883. Jan Pravoslav Koubek was born into a wealthy family in Blatná, in Strakonice District, in 1805. He went to secondary school in Písek (https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2023/03/19/prague-3-day-175-pisecka/) and later in Prague, where he was taught by Josef Jungmann. In 1827, he went to Charles-Ferdinand University Continue reading
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Prague 2, day 35: Čelakovského sady
Originally published on Twitter on 11 December 2022. Čelakovského sady was/were (sady – gardens – is plural) built in 1882. František Ladislav Čelakovský was born in Strakonice in 1799. After graduating from the gymnasium in České Budějovice, he moved to Prague to study philosophy. Financial constraints forced him to drop out and continue his studies Continue reading
What's in a Prague street name 