Pod Zemankou was built in 1935.
Repetition time: pop back to day 207 to learn something about Zemanka (https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2025/10/23/prague-4-day-207-na-zemance/).
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).
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Pod Křížkem was built in 1938.
Quick one today: we recently spoke about the somewhat distinctive building called Na Křížku, because there’s a street called ‘Nad Křížkem’ which is above it: https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2025/11/04/prague-4-day-219-nad-krizkem/.
Pod Křížkem, on the other hand, is beneath it.
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Na usedlosti was built in 1935.
An ‘usedlost’ is a homestead, a farmstead or an estate.
In English, the difference between a homestead and a farmstead is that the former intends to feed its own inhabitants, whereas the latter’s role is agricultural production.
Czech makes no distinction between the two, which is why I’ve been using both translations interchangeably over the years (sorry).
The ‘usedlost’ in question is called Ryšánka, and I’m going to have to stop talking now, because there’s an upcoming street or two named after it (as is this one, of course, but less directly).
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Nad Křížkem was built in 1938.
In the late 1800s, a Neo-Renaissance chateau, with quite an irregular form, was built round here on the site of an earlier building; it was named Na Křížku (‘At the small cross’). It originally served as a farmstead.
However, in the early 20th century, it was turned into a restaurant. In 1958, it was registered as a listed building. These days, it serves as office space.
In 2003, it underwent a through reconstruction under the watchful eye of the City of Prague. It’s pretty conspicuous, and apparently even visible from the other side of the Vltava.
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Ve dvoře was built named around 1900.
As mentioned yesterday (https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2025/11/02/prague-4-day-217-na-mlejnku/), the Dominican Order of Saint Giles was given part of Braník in 1625, as part of Emperor Ferdinand II’s re-Catholicisation drive.
However, Braník was outside the Prague city walls, and therefore suffered quite badly during the Thirty Years’ War. By 1650, reconstruction was sorely needed – and this is roughly when the Dominicans started building a court (dvůr; ‘Ve dvore’ means ‘In the court’).
Three of its four wings survive to this day; a bell tower was added in 1761.
The Prague Brewers’ Association operated a brewery here from 1899 to 1907 (if these words sound familiar, it’s because of yesterday’s posts); it was then the site of the Eden Cinema for fifty years from 1919.
As you can see, it’s now neither being used for anything nor in great condition. There’s been recent-ish (2019) talk of turning it into a magistrate’s court, or into a Waldorf school, but neither plan has materialised.
Just think how different this could be.
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Na Mlejnku was named in 1938.
In 1625, the Dominican Order of St Giles (see https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2024/10/06/prague-1-day-171-jilska/ for a bit more about him and them) came to Braník and acquired the local fortified manor.
At some point, they had a water mill – a vodni mlýn – built. It lasted a good while, being purchased by the Prague Brewers’ Association in 1899; they operated a brewery (what else?) there until 1907.
By 1914, there was a restaurant here called Lázně Mlejnek (the Mlejnek Spa), as evidenced by this advertisement.
In 1919, a swimming pool was established round here by the river, and was called Na Mlýnku, and the mill was rebuilt (but didn’t serve as a mill any longer).
All of this went for good in 1978, when Barrandov Bridge was constructed.
There’s a great picture – and memories – of the swimming pool on https://blog.idnes.cz/vildomec/rozmarne-leto-na-mlejnku-i-cast.Bg16011647.
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Nad kostelem was built in 1934. And that’s a particularly satisfying street sign pic.
‘Nad kostelem’ translates as ‘Above the church’. The church in question is Kostel svatého Prokopa v Braníku (the Church of St. Prokop in Braník), the tower which you can see in this picture.
The single-nave, Romanesque Revival-style church was consecrated in 1901; its tower was completed in 1903. The architect was Rudolf Vomáčka (1847-1926).
Here’s a much better photo of it than mine, taken by Wikimedia user VitVit (https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudolf_Vom%C3%A1%C4%8Dka#/media/Soubor:Bran%C3%ADk_Prokop_1.jpg).
For the story of St Prokop, let me take you into the city centre: https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2024/09/11/prague-1-day-76-prokopska/.
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U Šálkovny was built in 1935.
Vineyards existed around here at least as far back as 1400. About four hundred years later, a farmstead was set up here by an owner called Mr Šálek. Šálek was Jewish and, for a time, the farmstead included a synagogue.
After World War One – by which time the farmstead was owned by a Mr Vosátko – there were plans to sell it to the City of Prague, but this didn’t happen.
It was ultimately expropriated in 1945, by which time it was in a terrible state, and was replaced by, amongst other things, a kindergarten, presumably this one: https://www.msmezivrsi.cz/.
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Mezivrší was first given a name in 1911.
Until 1947 (other than during the Nazi occupation), it was called Kateřinská, supposedly an old name for the immediate surrounding area. One has to assume there was a church or other institution named after St Catherine.
For a still-existing street called Kateřinská to the north of here, see https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2024/08/28/prague-2-day-128-katerinska/.
Mezivrší is steep-ish, and its name reflects this, translating as ‘between the hills’ (well, it sort of reflects this – I walked up it and the start of the route seemed decidedly low down).
The street has three above-average-sized oak trees, saved from being cut down by local residents in 2007 and declared as ‘commemorative trees’ (think listed buildings, only with trees) in 2008: https://www.prazskestromy.cz/stromy/pamatne-stromy/87-skupina-dubu-letnich-v-ulici-mezivrsi/.
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V malých domech III was built in 1935.
You know the drill by now (https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2025/10/27/prague-4-day-211-v-malych-domech-i/). You may also be happy to know that there is no V malých domech IV, and so we can talk about something new tomorrow.
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V malých domech II was built in 1935.
I can’t give new information today (which, as I’m on holiday, is fine by me), but I can point you to https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2025/10/27/prague-4-day-211-v-malych-domech-i/ and give you a picture of the street and its supposed small houses.
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V malých domech I was built in 1935.
You’ll often hear it mentioned how the First Czechoslovak Republic was (after 1933) the only democratic country in the region, and how it was one of the world’s ten most industrialised countries. Cue nostalgia (also, it seems it was ‘only’ 14th).
One of the facts that this needs to be balanced against is the Great Depression, which hit Czechoslovakia hard, especially around 1933, when industrial production almost halved.
This meant downsizing – including when it came to building new homes. The houses in this street – while not tiny – can’t be compared to the villas that had sprung up in the 1920s. The street name translates as ‘In the small houses’ (I).
They were built by Václav Šindelář, and were made of unplastered white bricks in the Western style. Šindelář was also responsible for many of those villas in Braník (see https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2025/10/08/prague-4-day-192-na-dobesce/ to get to know the area).
Twenty years earlier, he’d been the chief construction manager for the Prague sanatorium (https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2025/07/04/prague-4-day-136-u-podolskeho-sanatoria/), and in 1924, he designed the Braník Theatre (which we haven’t got to yet, but which is awesome).
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Nad přívozem was built in 1926.
A ‘přívoz’ is a ferry.
Czech Wikipedia lists 17 current ferry routes across the Vltava – and 85 which are no more. Of the 17 remaining ones, only six are in Prague, and one is just for tourists.
Two ferries used to cross the Vltava to/from Braník: one, sailing to Hlubočepy, ran from 1835 to about 1979; the other, sailing to Zlíchov, ran from 1935 to 1966.
The end date of ‘about 1979’ is not coincidental – it was in 1978 that work started on Barrandov Bridge, which will get its own post soon-ish. It’s not a beauty, but I get how a ferry wouldn’t be able to transport 142,000 cars a day (the stat for 2023) quite as effectively.
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Školní was built in 1911.
Školní is named after the elementary school at number 3, which, as implied by its website, has been operating since 1894: https://www.zsskolni.cz/.
It seems things have come full circle, and the school is now named after the street.
The school got a significant makeover in 2018: https://praha4.cz/rekonstrukce-zs-v-braniku-konci/.
This street got me thinking about a street in Prague 1 – https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2024/09/15/prague-1-day-116-skolska/, which has multiple schools on or near it, but mainly because I started wondering when your adjective of choice is ‘školský’, and when it’s ‘školní’.
‘Školský’ – by far the rarer of the two – relates to education and schools in general. So, ‘školský zákon’ is ‘school law’ and the ‘školský úřad’ is the ‘education office’. And you can probably guess what the ‘školský systém’ is.
‘Školní’, meanwhile, relates to a school. A ‘školní rok’ is the school year, a ‘školní aktovka’ is a schoolbag, and the ‘školní řád’ is the school rules.
Other examples are ‘školní lavice’ (school desk), ‘školní mládež’ (schoolchildren), ‘školní potřeby’ (school supplies), ‘školní předmět’ (school subject), ‘školní výlet’ (school trip), and – the one we all used to dread – your ‘školní vysvědčení’, or school report / mark card.
Interesting phrases include ‘povinná školní docházka’ – frequently translated as ‘compulsory education’, but literally ‘compulsory school attendance’ and the ‘školní rozhlas’, AKA the Tannoy over which a voice might boom ‘COULD XXX PLEASE COME TO THE HEADMASTER’S OFFICE IMMEDIATELY’ or similar.
I didn’t know until today that Tannoy was a British manufacturer founded in 1926, or that many English speakers in the rest of the world would have no idea what a Tannoy is. To those people, therefore: sorry, intercom.
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Zemanka was built in 1968.
I’ve got an early start tomorrow, so it’s quite nice to be able to just put you in the direction of https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2025/10/23/prague-4-day-207-na-zemance/ and head to bed.
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Na Zemance was built in 1935.
A vineyard was probably in place here as far back as the Middle Ages. It survived several centuries, but took a bit of a beating in the War of the Austrian Succession (1740 to 1748).
Reduced from being a vineyard to just being a field, it was purchased by one Mikuláš Jan Miksa in 1756. The vineyard would be revived around 80 years later – but more on that on a later day.
It’s also around the 1840s that a farmstead was built here, and was named Zemanka (it’s not clear which person called Zeman this was presumably named after). It was rebuilt around 1900, and again in 1920.
The 1920s classicist upgrade is what you see before you today (it’s now a villa).
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Zelený pruh was built in… read on.
In 1941, a street, intended to be called Weilburgova, was built. It was named after Jan Weilburg z Widy, who, in the late 1400s, was the highest scribe in the Old Town. We have to assume he was a German speaker, not only because of his name, but because of who was in charge of Prague in 1941.
It seems this name was never properly adopted, and, in 1947, the street was renamed (or just plain named?) as Zelený pruh – which translates as ‘Green strip’, denoting the quite pleasant, park-like area between the road parts.
Back in 1941, another street was planned to the east of may-never-have-been-Weilburgova. Its planned name was Wernerova, and good luck narrowing down all the Mr Werners who that could have been named after.
In 1947, may-never-have-been-Wernerova was connected to U Krčské vodárny II. Nothing on that street or name for now, as this is not the place for spoilers.
Part of the street then became part of Antala Staška street. Same lack of information from me for now, for the same reason as described above.
But, in 1952, this street, never exactly treated as much of an individual, became part of Zelený pruh.
The street’s most famous building (certainly the most dominant) is surely the Academy of Crafts / Akademie řemesel Praha, a technical secondary school – so much so that its online presence is at https://www.zelenypruh.cz.
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Na rozhledu was built in 1934.
A ‘rozhled’ is a ‘view’ or an ‘outlook’. And this is a good reminder that we are currently overlooking the Branické skály, or Braník Rocks (https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2025/10/02/prague-4-day-187-nad-lomem/).
There are some pretty great views round here, and I need to add some pictures of them to these posts.
Stand in the right spot, and you even have a view of Zlíchov, which we’ll talk about a lot when we get across the river and into Prague 5.
For those who like vocabulary, ‘všeobecný rozhled’ is a general outlook, and therefore ‘general knowledge’, and it’s always a good idea to ‘rozšiřovat si rozhled’ – to broaden one’s horizons.
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Jasná II was built in 1938.
I’m going to point you towards https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2025/10/18/prague-4-day-202-jasna-i/ and remind you that I write about these street names, but I don’t get to decide how varied they are(n’t).
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Stará cesta was named in 1911. Which may also be when that street sign was last cleaned. Goodness.
‘Stará cesta’ translates as ‘old path’, and this is exactly what you have here.
A bit further down the path, you’ve got the Marold Villa, where the painter Luděk Marold (https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2025/02/23/prague-4-day-43-maroldova/) was brought up here by his aunt after he was orphaned.
There’s a fine picture of the villa on https://pamatkovykatalog.cz/maroldova-vila-13071625.
What's in a Prague street name 
