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: Prague 3

  • Prague 3, day 153: Lucemburská

    Originally published on Twitter on 23 September 2022. Lucemburská was built in 1896. The Lucemburkové, or the House of Luxembourg, or D’Lëtzebuerger Haus if you really want to be like that about it, ruled as Kings of Germany, Holy Roman Emperors, and Kings of Bohemia (and Hungary, and Croatia). Luckily, it’s a much shorter list…

  • Prague 3, day 152: Přemyslovská

    Originally published on Twitter on 22 September 2022. Přemyslovská was built in 1896. The Přemyslid dynasty ruled Bohemia from the mid-9th century until 1306. So here’s a very abbreviated and yet really quite long guide to all the ones who ruled. Years of rule are often best guesses in the early days. Bořivoj I (872-89):…

  • Prague 3, day 151: Křišťanova

    Originally published on Twitter on 21 September 2022. Křišťanova was built in 1904. Křišťan z Prachatic was born in the late 1360s, started studying at Charles University in 1386, and then became a maths lecturer there while also being a parish priest in the Old Town. *And* also becoming the University’s dean and chancellor. He…

  • Prague 3, day 150: Žižkovo náměstí

    Originally published on Twitter on 20 September 2022. Žižkovo náměstí was built in 1904, and I’m now wondering how I spin this one out. Oh, OK: until 1947, it was Kollárovo náměstí, after Ján Kollár (1793-1852), Slovak poet, pastor, writer and promoter of Pan-Slavism. From 1947 to 1958, it was Chelčického náměstí, and you can…

  • Prague 3, day 149: Radhošťská

    Originally published on Twitter on 19 September 2022. Radhošťská was built in 1904. Part of Radhošťská used to be a separate street, called Rostislavova from 1920 to 1947, after Rostislav, the second known ruler of Moravia from 846 to 870. Before becoming a victim of cancel culture, 1952-street-planning-style, Rostislavova was renamed Tayerlova, after Rudolf Tayerle…

  • Prague 3, day 148: Ondříčkova

    Originally published on Twitter on 18 September 2022. Ondříčkova was built in 1885. Until 1937, this was Břetislavova, presumably after Břetislav I (1005-1055), II (1060-1100) III (died 1197), all Dukes of Bohemia. František Ondříček was born on Nový Svět in Hradčany in 1857, and played violin in taverns and cafes as part of his father’s…

  • Prague 3, day 147: Blodkova

    Originally published on Twitter on 17 September 2022. Blodkova was built in 1905. Vilém Blodek was born into a poor family in Prague in 1834. He graduated from the Prague Conservatory at the age of 19, subsequently becoming a piano teacher in Lubycza Królewska (then Galicia, now in south-eastern Poland on the Ukrainian border). He…

  • Prague 3, day 146: Zvonařova

    Originally published on Twitter on 16 September 2022. Zvonařova was built in 1904. Josef Leopold Zvonař was born near in Kublov near Beroun in 1824. At the age of 18, he moved to Prague to train to study pedagogy, but, as he was already proficient in several instruments, music was a greater attraction. Therefore, he…

  • Prague 3, day 145: Škroupovo náměstí

    Originally published on Twitter on 15 September 2022. Škroupovo náměstí was built in 1910. Until 1940, and again from 1945-7, this was Smetanovo náměstí, after Bedřich Smetana (1824-84), composer of Má vlast, and often called the father of Czech music. From 1940-5, it was Sukovo náměstí, after Josef Suk (1874-1935), composer and son-in-law of Antonín…

  • Prague 3, day 144: Pospíšilova

    Originally published on Twitter on 14 September 2022. Pospíšilova was built in 1904. It was called Dvořákova until 1930. Explanation probably not needed. Karel Pospíšil was born near Chotěboř in 1867, and was taught music by both his grandfather, Josef Pospíšil, and his uncle, the famous pianist Karel Slavkovský. He became a teacher in a…

  • Prague 3, day 143: Fibichova

    Originally published on Twitter on 13 September 2022. Fibichova was built in 1904. From 1940 to 1945, this was Ševčíkova. Fibichova is to the right of Ševčíkova (https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2023/01/14/prague-3-day-142-sevcikova/). Except Current Ševčíkova wasn’t called Ševčíkova until 1947. Blimey. Zdeněk Fibich was born in Všebořice near Benešov in 1850. Encouraged by his music-loving (and Austrian) mother, he…

  • Prague 3, day 142: Ševčíkova

    Originally published on Twitter on 12 September 2022. Ševčíkova was built in 1904. Until 1947, this was Bendlova, after Karel Bendl (1838-97), composer, organiser of the Umělecká beseda’s music department, second conductor of the Deutsche Oper and later of Prague’s National Theatre. Otakar Ševčík was born in Horažďovice in 1852. He started learning the violin…

  • Prague 3, day 141: Křížkovského

    Originally published on Twitter on 11 September 2022. Křížkovského was built in 1910. Karel Křížkovský was born to a single mother in Holasovice (not a typo) in 1820, and was brought up by his uncles in Neplachovice near Opava. In his youth, he became a chorister at the Church of St. Ducha in Opava, later…

  • Prague 3, day 140: Slavíkova

    Originally published on Twitter on 10 September 2022. Slavíkova was built in 1910. Until 1961, this was Grégrova, after Julius Grégr (1831-96), co-founder of the Young Czechs and of Národní listy. Josef Slavík was born in Jince (near Příbram) in 1806. A prodigy on the violin, he was, by the age of nine, the lead…

  • Prague 3, day 139: Vozová

    Originally published on Twitter on 9 September 2022. Vozová was built in 1875. Nice old-school street sign too. Vozová was first mentioned in 1843, as a ‘garden with a residential building’, located in the Křížovka vineyard, which had already existed for over 400 years. In 1854, Count Karl of Lessonitz-Reichenbach purchased it and built a…

  • Prague 3, day 138: Kubelíkova

    Originally published on Twitter on 8 September 2022. Kubelíkova was built in 1885. Until 1930, this was Libušina, after Libuše, ancestor of the Přemyslid dynasty and of the Czechs. So the number of streets named after women in Prague 3 has actually gone *down* over the years. Gah. From 1930 to 1947, it was Dvořákova, after Antonín Dvořák,…

  • Prague 3, day 137: Chvalova

    Originally published on Twitter on 7 September 2022. Chvalova was built in 1910. Known as Závišova until 1947, after Záviš of Falkenstein (1250-ish to 1290), a noble from the Vitkovci clan and foe of Otokar II. Chval z Machovic (first mentioned in 1419, last mentioned in 1433) was one of the first governors of Tábor alongside…

  • Prague 3, day 136: Ježkova

    Originally published on Twitter on 6 September 2022. Ježkova was built in 1896. Until 1940, and again from 1945 to 1947, this was Nerudova, after Jan Neruda (1834-91), journalist, author, poet, and main figure of the Májovci, a group of Czech novelists and poets inspired by the works of Mácha, Havlíček and Erben. From 1940…

  • Prague 3, day 135: Čajkovského

    Originally published on Twitter on 5 September 2022. Čajkovského was built in 1885. Known as Tomkova until 1952, after Václav Vladivoj Tomek (1818-1905), a historian, conservative politician and archivist, best known for his twelve-volume Dějepis města Prahy (History of the City of Prague). Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-93), meanwhile, as composer of Swan Lake, the Nutcracker…

  • Prague 3, day 134: Bořivojova

    Originally published on Twitter on 4 September 2022. Bořivojova was built in 1875. In 1947, this street joined with Riegrova (also built in 1875). Riegrova was named after František Ladislav Rieger (1818-1903), early leader of the Czech Nationalist Movement. Old Franta still gets a park in Vinohrady with – life goals alert – a beer…