WW2
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Prague 4, day 198: Saveljevova
Saveljevova was built in 1979. Mikhail Ivanovich Savelyev was born in 1896 in Poyarkovo, a village in Ryazan Governorate, Russia. From the age of twelve, he worked in a butcher’s shop in Moscow. In 1915, he was drafted into the army; after the October Revolution of 1917, he was involved in the disarmament of counterrevolutionary officers. Continue reading
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Prague 4, day 188: Kovriginova
Kovriginova was built in 1977. I want to start this one by taking you to https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2025/09/20/prague-4-day-178-goncarenkova/, and the story of when Soviet tanks entered Prague in May 1945. As well as Honcharenko, the crew of tank no. 24 included a loader, Nikolai Kovrigin. According to an article published earlier this year by a local newspaper Continue reading
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Prague 4, day 178: Gončarenkova
Gončarenkova was built in 1934. From 1934 to 1952, the street was called Podhájská; from 1952 to 1957, it was called Na Zvoničce; from 1957 to 1973, it was called Na Zvoničce II. I’m saying nothing about those names, as all will become clear in the next few days. Ivan Hryhorovych Hončarenko was born in Continue reading
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Prague 4, day 156: Jeremenkova
Jeremenkova has exited in its current form since 1952; before then, it consisted of two separate streets called Dvorecká (built 1906) and Pod vrstami (created 1938). More on those in future posts, as there are still streets with those names. Andrei Ivanovich Yeremenko was born to a peasant family in Markivka, near Kharkiv, in 1892. Continue reading
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Prague 4, day 143: Nedvědovo náměstí
Nedvědovo náměstí was nameless until 1906. From 1906 to 1934, the square was called Komenského náměstí, of which there is still one in Prague 3: https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2022/11/26/prague-3-day-82-komenskeho-namesti/. From 1934 to 1948, it was called Podolské náměstí. Miloš Nedvěd was born in 1908. His father, František Nedvěd, would later co-found the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia in the early Continue reading
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Prague 4, day 134: Brabcova
Brabcova was built in 1938. It’s not been easy to find information on this one. Apparently, Karel Brabec was born in 1909, was a labourer, and a member of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. He was executed in 1942 for taking part in resistance activities. Before 1952, the street was named after Hynek Krušina z Continue reading
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Prague 4, day 98: Sinkulova
Sinkulova was built in 1892. It was initially called Krušinova, after Hynek Krušina z Lichtenburka, a noble who first fought on the Hussite side in the 1400s, then on the side of the Catholics. Having been lengthened by taking over another street in the 1930s, the street has had its present name since 1948. Václav Continue reading
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Prague 4, day 97: Marie Cibulkové
Marie Cibulkové was built in 1900. Until 1940, and again from 1945 to 1947, the street was called Libušina, as nearby https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2024/08/23/prague-2-day-93-libusina/ still is. Marie Cibulková was born as Marie Grasserová in 1888. In 1920, she became a leader of the Pankrác Sokol (see https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2024/08/26/prague-2-day-114-sokolska/), as well as a representative of the Sokols at the Continue reading
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Prague 4, day 92: Štětkova
Štětkova was built in 1898. Until 1940, and again from 1945 to 1948, the street was called Horymírova, and you can learn a thing or two about Horymír on https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2025/01/29/prague-4-day-7-kresomyslova/. Then, from 1948 to 1952, it was called Mikešova, after Mikeš Divůček z Jemniště, a mintmaster from Kutná Hora who was good friends with Jan Continue reading
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Prague 4, day 83: Pikrtova
Pikrtova was formerly part of 5. května (https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2025/02/05/prague-4-day-25-5-kvetna-5-may/), but construction of the nearby main road changed its shape so much that it was declared a separate street in 1977. We don’t have tremendous amounts of information about Josef Pikrt – for example, we don’t know his year of birth. We do know that he was Continue reading
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Prague 4, day 82: Doudlebská
Doudlebská was built in 1941. Doudleby (coat of arms below) is a village less than ten kilometres from České Budějovice – so it’s quite appropriate that this street is just a stone’s throw from Budějovická. It’s named after the Doudleby tribe, who settled in the area of the village around 800. It was one of Continue reading
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Prague 4, day 29: Náměstí Generála Kutlvašra
Náměstí Generála Kutlvašra (General Kutlvašr Square) was built in 1911. Karel Kutlvašr was born in Michalovice, near Havlíčkův Brod, in 1896. Graduating from business school in 1911, he first worked in Humpolec, then in Kyiv. However, when World War One started, he joined the Czech Company, a volunteer unit consisting of Czechs living in the Continue reading
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Prague 4, day 25: 5. května (5 May)
The road was built in 1931, and, until 1940 (and again from 1945 to 1978), it was named 1. listopadu – 1 November – in honour of the Battle of Vyšehrad in 1420: https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2025/02/01/prague-4-day-21-na-vitezne-plani/. By May 1945, Bohemia and Moravia had been occupied by Nazi Germany for over six years. However, both Soviet and American Continue reading
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Prague 1, day 257: Nábřeží Ludvíka Svobody
Originally published on X on 15 June 2024. ‘Nábřeží’ = ‘Embankment’. Ludvík Svoboda was born in Hroznatín, a village in Vysocina Region, in 1895. His father died a year later (apparently after being kicked by a horse), and his mother remarried in 1898. He attended the Agricultural School in Velké Meziříčí, and was then called Continue reading
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Prague 1, day 212: 17. listopadu
Originally published on X on 28 April 2024. From the 16th century, this street was called Sanytrová, after ‘sanytr’, an Old Czech word for saltpetre, which is used to make gunpowder. In the 19th century (until 1870), it was known as V krechtách, after the nearby pits and ditches by the Vltava. Sanytrová was used Continue reading
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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
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Prague 2, day 162: Odborů
Originally published on X on 21 April 2023. Odborů was built in 1897. Until 1947, this was the eastern part of Na Zbořenci: https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2024/09/01/prague-2-day-160-na-zborenci/. Then it was Kleinova until 1952. This story deserves to be told in a bit more detail than I’ve done for other street names that are no longer in use – Continue reading
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Prague 2, day 153: Resslova
Originally published on X on 12 April 2023. Until 1870, the street was known as U Hurta, Nad Hurtem, Hurtova or Hurtovská, all named after a building here (U Hurta) which hosted the municipal forge. Josef Ressel, meanwhile, was born to a Czech-German family in 1793 in Chrudim, which garnered him a quick mention on Continue reading
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Prague 2, day 149: Gorazdova
Originally published on X on 8 April 2023. Gorazdova was built in 1870. Before 1947, this was the northern part of Podskalská: https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2024/08/26/prague-2-day-122-podskalska/ Matěj Pavlík was born in Hrubá Vrbka, near Hodonín, in 1879, and attended the Faculty of Theology in Olomouc from 1898 to 1902, after which he was ordained. During these studies, he Continue reading
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Prague 2, day 89: Čiklova
Originally published on X on 22 August 2023. Čiklova was built in 1906. From 1906 to 1940, and again from 1945 to 1948, this was Sámova, after Samo, whose empire, from 623 to 658, is the first known political union of Slavic tribes. During the Nazi occupation, the street was called Hemina, after Hemma, or Continue reading
What's in a Prague street name 