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 Castle
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Boleslavova was built in 1892. Boleslav was born in or around 915, the son of Vratislav I, Duke of Bohemia (pictured as seen at St George’s Convent – more on that one later), and his wife, Drahomíra. Accounts of the first few years of his life vary – and, for all we know, they could…
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Originally published on X on 26 October 2023. These supposed ‘old castle steps’ have been around since the 17th century. Which, sure, makes them old, but doesn’t make them older than the supposedly ‘new’ castle steps discussed on https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2024/09/08/prague-1-day-40-zamecke-schody/. They were given a reconstruction in 1835-7, and have had their current name since then. They’re…
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Originally published on X on 25 October 2023. An opyš is ‘a narrow ridge rising from a flat hill into a valley’. It’s not entirely clear how the word came about; there are those who believe that the word originally meant ‘tail’ (ocas in modern Czech). Anyway, Opyš has become the name given to the…
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Originally published on the other place on 18 October 2023. A short one today, as befits a short street (only six addresses or thereabouts). Until the 19th century, the street was known as Ke stupňům (‘Towards the stairs’), with said stairs being these: https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2024/09/08/prague-1-day-40-zamecke-schody/). From 1829, it had the same name as the steps did…
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Originally published on X on 16 October 2023. You’ll have been down these (if you planned your sightseeing round Prague sensibly), or up them (if you didn’t). Back in the Middle Ages, there was a road here, aptly called Strmá cesta (Steep Road). At some point, these were replaced by the steps (which have basically…
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Originally published on X on 9 September 2023. A kanovník – or, alternatively, a kapitulár – is a canon, i.e. a clergyman who belongs to a specific chapter, or who performs liturgical functions in a certain church. The ‘certain church’ in this case is quite an important one – St. Vitus Cathedral (as it was…
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Originally published on X on 8 September 2023. So this should be a brief one: ‘Ke Hradu’ means ‘Towards the Castle’, which is exactly where this street leads (depending which direction you’re going in, obvs). One achievement of the street was to make the Royal Route, i.e. the journey that kings had to travel on…
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Originally published on X on 2 September 2023. Jelení was named in 1870. A jelen is a stag. The street is named after Jelení příkop – the Deer Moat – a moat which separates the promontory of Prague Castle and the castle’s northern forecourt. In 1534, Ferdinand I had had the Královská zahrada / Royal…
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Originally published on X on 5 August 2023. You may have heard of Jelení příkop (and if you haven’t, just wait a week). You may also think that a moat is something that could do with a bridge above it. Luckily, in 1535, Ferdinand I agreed with you. Originally known as the Dlouhý most (Long…
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Originally published on X on 2 August 2023. And, like yesterday’s (https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2024/09/02/prague-1-day-1-u-svateho-jiri-st-georges-square/), the street also had similar but not identical names before 1870: U sv. Jiří (as the square is called now), Proti klášteru sv. Jiří (Against St George’s Convent, which sounds a bit like a protest) and Svatojiřská. It was also once known as…
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Originally published on X on 1 August 2023. Before 1870, other variants of this name (Jiřské náměstí or Svatojiřské náměstí) were also in use. The story goes that George was born into a Greek Christian family in Cappadocia (in what is now Central Anatolia, i.e. Central Turkey) around 270. His father was an officer in…
What's in a Prague street name 