Originally published on X on 27 April 2024. Originally, this area was called Rejdiště (more on that in a few days); the square came into being in the 1870s and was called Na Rejdišti. During WW1, it was named náměstí císařovny Zity after Zita of Bourbon-Parma (1892-1989), the final Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary.…
Originally published on X on 7 March 2024. Announcement: the rest of the Prague 1 series is going to involve quite a lot of these ‘but I already said everything yesterday’ threads. Which, to be fair, I’m totally fine with. And with that, here’s a link to https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2024/10/03/prague-1-day-163-anenske-namesti/. However, I’m too pedantic to not give…
Originally published on X on 28 February 2024. A text from 1396 mentions ten mills in this location; no later than 1489, they had been joined by a wooden water tower, which was used to provide water from the Vltava to the Old Town. As with nearly every wooden structure that’s come up in these…
Originally published on X on 27 February 2024. Bedřich Smetana (baptised as Fridrich) was born in Litomyšl in 1824. His father František was a prolific brewer (and played violin in a quartet) while his mother Barbora was a relative of the Baroque composer Jiří Ignác Linek (and was a dancer). Bedřich, meanwhile, started violin and…
Originally published on X on 4 August 2023. It’s a story of two parts. Back in the 16th century, this was an alleyway, and the poorest part of Hradčany. Legend has it that it was called Zlatička at the time, with the following theories abounding: – Goldsmiths might have lived here (unlikely if it was…
Originally published on X on 26 April 2023. Štěpánská was built in the mid-14th century. Up to the 15th century, the street was known by various names: Svatoštěpánská (linked to its current name), Nad Jámou (Above the Pit – after its geographical location), or Nad Louží (Above the Puddle – there was a settlement round here…
What's in a Prague street name 