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: Trades
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Na Fidlovačce was built in 1906. A fidlovačka is a tool that a cobbler – i.e. a person who makes or repairs shoes – uses to smooth leather. The tool then gave its name to a spring festival which took place in the Nusle valley, by the Botič stream (https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2024/08/26/prague-2-day-115-boticska/). At this festival – which…
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Originally published on X on 5 July 2024. In the early 1400s, this street – along with Mlynářská, which is one of the eight streets we haven’t covered yet – was called Mezi pekaři (Among the bakers), because they had set up shop round here. At a later stage, it was called Mlýnská, after the…
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Originally published on X on 1 July 2024. The road originated in the late 1300s, and was initially called Štercéřská, after Oldřich Štercéř, a citizen of the New Town. Zlato is gold; a zlatník is a goldsmith. And, along with the butchers, weavers, joiners, fishmongers, butchers, and, well, just look at every third post in…
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Originally published on X on 23 June 2024. ’Sukno’ is the Czech word for ‘broadcloth’ – i.e. plain, dense woven cloth, typically made of wool. These days, it’s mainly used for costumes. In the past, it was used for trousers, skirts, jackets and military uniforms (the Czech for ‘skirt’ is ‘sukně’). Somebody who weaves this…
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Originally published on X on 20 June 2024. A ‘barva’ is a colour; it can also mean ‘dye’, although you will also hear ‘barvivo’ used for this. A place where dyeing takes place – i.e. a dyeworks or a dyehouse – is a ‘barvírna’, whereas one who engages in this trade – i.e. a dyer…
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Originally published on X on 29 May 2024. Until the 14th century, this was known as Starý uhelný trh (Old Coal Market), or Forum carbonum antiquum, after a market which was here but later moved to, yes, Uhelný trh: https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2024/09/26/prague-1-day-147-uhelny-trh/. After that, it became known as Hrnčířská, thanks to its local craftsmen (a ‘hrnčíř’ is…
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Originally published on X on 26 May 2024. Two possibilities here. The first one is that the street is named after number 4, U Modrého rámce (The Blue Frame). It’s pictured, and, at least in 2024, not noticeably blue. The second theory is that the street is named after the frames (Czech: ‘rámy’) used by…
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Originally published on X on 4 April 2024. On one end of Železná, you had the Old Town’s most important medieval market (https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2024/10/12/prague-1-day-190-staromestske-namesti-old-town-square/)… …and, on the other end, you had another one which was almost as important (https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2024/10/08/prague-1-day-175-havelska/). So, it made sense for people with an interest in trade and selling to settle here. Such…
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Originally published on X on 9 March 2024. Predictability alert: yesterday, we talked about gold and goldsmiths (https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2024/10/03/prague-1-day-165-zlata/); today, we’re on silver and silversmiths. An alley rather than a full-on street, Stříbrná was built in order for water to be carried to St Anne’s Convent (https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2024/10/03/prague-1-day-163-anenske-namesti/) in case of fire. Good luck to anybody trying…
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Originally published on X on 13 February 2024. A provaz is a rope. And, therefore, a provazník is a rope-maker or rope-weaver. And, to add to the many craftsmen and tradesmen we’ve dealt with recently, rope-weavers set up shop around here, forming their own guild in 1410. The name of the street can be traced…
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Originally published on X on 16 January 2024. A jáma is a pit, a hole, or a hollow; a synonym for this is a prohlubeň. And, expectedly, pits/hollows are what the terrain round here once consisted of. The hollows round here had water in them, and, in the early days of the New Town, were…
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Originally published on X on 3 January 2024. When this street was built in the 14th century, it was named Pasířská, because it was inhabited by pasíři – craftsmen making belts from metal, i.e. girdlers. When they moved to another nearby street – which we’re getting to soon-ish – they were replaced by makers of…
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Originally published on X on 30 December 2023. Remember a tanner and his family being brought up yesterday (https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2024/09/13/prague-1-day-97-pstrossova/)? Well, we’re still on this topic. Jircha is tanned leather, derived from the Latin ‘hircus’, which is a buck or male goat. So a jirchář is a tanner, but is not exactly as the same as…
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Originally published on X on 22 April 2023. Spálená was built in the Middle Ages. Before the founding of the New Town in 1348, this was part of a road leading from Vyšehrad to Prague Castle, and which was therefore known as Vyšehradská cesta. As well as founding the New Town, Karel IV evicted various…
What's in a Prague street name 