Praha 3
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Prague 3, day 175: Písecká
Originally published on Twitter on 15 October 2022. Písecká was built in 1910. Písek, with 30,000 inhabitants, is the third-largest city in South Bohemia. Its name means ‘sand’, deriving from the gold-bearing sand found on the banks of the Otava River. It was first mentioned in 1243, when Václav I built a castle there, although Continue reading
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Prague 3, day 174: Slezská
Originally published on Twitter on 14 October 2022. Slezská was built in 1889. Silesia (Slezsko in Czech, Śląsk in Polish, and Schlesien in German), is a historical region of Central Europe (translation: this might not be the briefest of threads). Czech Silesia is one of the three historical Czech lands, though it’s significantly smaller than Continue reading
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Prague 3, day 173: Náměstí Jiřího z Lobkovic
Originally published on Twitter on 13 October 2022. Náměstí Jiřího z Lobkovic was built in 1910. It underwent a pointless name change to Lobkovické náměstí (1940-5). It was then called Náměstí V.I. Čapajeva until 1990. Vasily Chapayev (1887-1919) was a Red Army commander. Soviet propaganda hailed him as a war hero; he also had bugger Continue reading
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Prague 3, day 172: Horní Stromka
Originally published on Twitter on 12 October 2022. Horní Stromka was built in 1925. There’s no street sign (more on that later). For the story of Horní Stromka, please go back 24 hours to https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2023/03/08/prague-3-day-171-v-horni-stromce/. One thing I’ve learned in the last 172 days (don’t worry, there aren’t that many to go) is that whoever Continue reading
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Prague 3, day 171: V Horní Stromce
Originally published on Twitter on 11 October 2022. V Horní Stromce was built in 1935. Horní Stromka (‘Upper Tree’) was an estate that appeared in this location around the 16th century. In 1723, it was purchased by a married couple called the Svobodas. In 1757, during the Seven Years’ War, the homestead was devastated during the Continue reading
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Prague 3, day 170: Kouřimská
Originally published on Twitter on 10 October 2022. Kouřimská was built in 1925. Kouřim is *another* small town (1,900 people) in the Kolín district. The name is one accent mark away from being ‘kouřím’ (meaning ‘I smoke’), and, according to legend, Bohemian prince Lech (died 805) lit a fire here to let his ancestor Čech Continue reading
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Prague 3, day 169: Zásmucká
Originally published on Twitter on 9 October 2022. Zásmucká was built in 1935. Zásmuky is a town of 2,100 people, 16 km to the south-west of Kolín, first mentioned in 1285. Originally owned by the Zásmucký family (originally enough), it was acquired by the Šternberk clan, one of the oldest Bohemian noble families, in the Continue reading
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Prague 3, day 168: Votická
Originally published on Twitter on 8 October 2022. Votička was built in 1925. Votice is a town of 4,500 people in the Benešov District, about 60 km from Prague. It’s within a mountainous region known as ‘Česká Sibiř’ / ‘Czech Siberia’. It was first mentioned in writing in 1359, but had probably existed for over Continue reading
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Prague 3, day 167: Šrobárova
Originally posted on Twitter on 7 October 2022. There is no day 166, because day 166 on the Twitter version was a spoof post which… well, I don’t feel it particularly landed at the time, and you *really* had to be there for it to even start landing. Anyway, moving on. Šrobárova was built in Continue reading
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Prague 3, day 165: U Vinohradské nemocnice
Originally published on Twitter on 5 October 2022. U Vinohradské nemocnice was built in 1925 and translates as ‘By Vinohrady Hospital’. What is now known as the University Hospital of Královské Vinohrady (Fakultní nemocnice Královské Vinohrady) was opened in 1902, and, a year later, was named ‘Všeobecná veřejná nemocnice císaře a krále Františka Josefa’. Catchy. Continue reading
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Prague 3, day 164: Soběslavská
Originally published on Twitter on 4 October 2022. Soběslavská was built in 1925. Soběslav is a town of 6,800 inhabitants, 18 kilometres south of Tábor in South Bohemia. It was first mentioned in 1293, when its castle and surroundings belonged to the wealthy Rosenberg family. Key historical events include Václav IV (https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2023/02/26/prague-3-day-153-lucemburska/) being imprisoned in Continue reading
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Prague 3, day 162: U Vinohradského hřbitova
Originally published on Twitter on 2 October 2022. U Vinohradského hřbitova, built in 1925, translates as ’By the Vinohrady Cemetery’. Vinohrady Cemetery was built in 1885, and was mainly used for the burial of upper-class Prague citizens. It was expanded over the next forty years, and is now the second-largest cemetery in Prague in terms Continue reading
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Prague 3, day 161: Vinohradská
Originally published on Twitter on 1 October 2022. Vinohradská was built long enough ago for people to not know the exact year. Caution: multiple name changes coming. It was originally called Říčanská, as it led to Říčany in modern-day Prague-East (reputedly the best place to live in the country, or so says the Quality of Life Continue reading
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Prague 3, day 160: Pod židovskými hřbitovy
Originally published on Twitter on 30 September 2022. Pod židovskými hřbitovy was built in 1981 (like me). Another belated ‘oh, that’s Prague 3’ moment – the only street sign says otherwise, but the northernmost part of the short street is actually in the district. The street name translates as ‘Under the Jewish Cemeteries’, and that’s Continue reading
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Prague 3, day 159: Novovysočanská
Originally published on Twitter on 29 September 2022. Novovysočanská was built in 1906. We’re at the ‘streets I didn’t realise were partially in Prague 3 / Žižkov’ stage of things. In my defence, there isn’t actually a single street sign in the Prague 3 part of Novovysočanská, and this pic is the nearest I can Continue reading
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Prague 3, day 158: Jičínská
Originally published on Twitter on 28 September 2022. Jičínská was built in 1910. Jičín is a town of 16,000 people in the Hradec Králové Region. Initially a royal town, Jan Lucemburský sold it to the Vartenberk family in 1337. It really started to expand in 1621, when it was purchased by the military leader Albrecht von Continue reading
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Prague 3, day 157: Olšanské náměstí
Originally published on Twitter on 27 September 2022. Olšanské náměstí was built in 1910. For the story of Olšany, the village that was once located here, I’m going to take you to https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2022/11/22/prague-3-day-73-olsanska/. Until 1930, the square was called Radešínovo náměstí, after Vilém z Radešína, who owned Olšany from 1546. For the story of why it Continue reading
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Prague 3, day 156: Sudoměřská
Originally published on Twitter on 26 September 2022. Sudoměřská was built in 1898. It was originally called Sudoměřická until 1958, when it was changed on the grounds that Sudoměřská is the grammatically correct adjective for something from Sudoměř, and Sudoměřická… is not. These days, Sudoměř is a village which is part of the municipality of Continue reading
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Prague 3, day 155: Baranova
Originally published on Twitter on 25 September 2022. Baranova was built in 1885. It was named Vratislavova until 1940 and again from 1945 to 1947, after Vratislav II, who is in this bumper here’s-all-the-Přemyslids-thread from a few days back: https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2023/02/26/prague-3-day-152-premyslovska/. It was then called Habánská from 1940 to 1945, after the Habaners, the Hutterites (that’s Continue reading
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Prague 3, day 154: Jagellonská
Originally published on Twitter on 24 September 2022. Jagellonská was built in 1896. Continuing (and ending) this trilogy of streets, the Jagiellonian dynasty was founded by Jogaila, Grand Duke of Lithuania, in 1386. In their time, they ruled Poland, Lithuania, Hungary and Bohemia. The dynasty is known as the Jagiellonowie, the Jogailaičiai, the Jagelló and Continue reading
What's in a Prague street name 