Sweden – What's in a Prague street name

30th Sep 2024

Prague 1, day 156: Smetanovo nábřeží (Smetana Embankment)

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 Continue reading

1848, Composers, Embankments, Germany, Old Town, Prague 1, Praha 1, Smetana, Staré Město, Sweden

8th Sep 2024

Prague 1, day 25: Promenáda Raoula Wallenberga

Originally published on X on 23 September 2023. Raoul Wallenberg was born on Lidingö, an island in the Stockholm Archipelago, in 1912. His father had died of cancer three months earlier. His grandfather was, at this time, Swedish Ambassador to Japan, and made it his mission to show Raoul the world. Wallenberg studied in Paris, Continue reading

Embassies, Holocaust, Hradčany, Hungary, Israel, Prague 1, Praha 1, Sweden, WW2

22nd Nov 2022

Prague 3, day 73: Olšanská

Originally published on Twitter on 5 July 2022. Olšanská was built in 1947. Olšany, a village located where the road now is, was built in 1306. It was named after ‘olše’, the alder tree. It’s hard to believe now, but there were several ponds and a stream here. The manors here had various owners, before Continue reading

1947, Cemeteries, Prague 3, Praha 3, Sweden, Thirty Years’ War, Villages, Žižkov