What's in a Prague street name

U Svépomoci was built in 1934. ‘Svépomoc’ is self-help; the adjective from this is ‘svépomocný’. If you’re like me, you’ll see ‘self-help’ and think ‘book’; however, it’s also a legal term, referring to individuals exercising their rights without having to consult higher authorities. In the case of this street, Svépomoc was the name of the Continue reading

U čtyř domů was built in 1934. A slight variation on the theme today: we already know that the streets around here were built in the 1930s, and that most of the street names were designed in celebration of that. Today’s is a bit more to the point: the street had four buildings on it Continue reading

Na úspěchu was built in 1934. ‘Úspěch’ is ‘success’. It can also be translated as ‘achievement’ or ‘attainment’. And, yes, once again, the building of all the streets around here was indeed seen as an achievement. We have to assume the street namers were being positive, and not quietly considering that the work had been Continue reading

Spolupráce was built in 1938. ‘Spolupráce’ is cooperation, or collaboration. Synonyms for that include the very recognisable ‘kooperace’, and the less recognisable ‘součinnost’. A ‘spolupracovník’ (male) or ‘spolupracovnice’ (female) is another way of referring to your ‘kolega’ (male) or ‘kolegyně’ (female), ie your co-worker. And you know what took cooperation? Building all the houses and Continue reading

Nad Jezerkou was built in 1934. Remember how yesterday’s street (LINK) was above Jezerka? Well, today’s is quite literally called… Above Jezerka. So here’s a link to that again: https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2025/03/19/prague-4-day-51-na-jezerce/. I do promise these are going to get more varied soon, although I’ve not given much evidence of that for at least three weeks now. Continue reading

Nad studánkou was built in 1934. A ‘studánka’ is a spring or a well, and ‘nad’ means above – and what this street is above has been discussed before. We’re talking about the ancient spring called Jezerka, where Libuše, the mythological founder of Prague, is said to have bathed. For the full story, check out Continue reading

Na lepším was built in 1934. That literally translates as ‘on the better’… something. ‘Note’ would fit in quite well. One theory has it that this once a name for the local land, so called because its soil was superior to that of neighbouring areas. However, if you’ve been following the last batch of street Continue reading

Zdařilá was built in 1938. If something is ‘zdařilý’ (feminine: zdařilá), it’s successful, well done or just plain good. The adjective derives from the reflexive verb ‘zdařit se’, which means to succeed or to turn out well. And, in 1938, whoever was in charge of names of streets decreed that the building job done over Continue reading

Zdaru was named in 1941. ‘Zdar’ translates as ‘success’ or ‘luck’. If you were to say ‘Mnoho zdaru!’ to someone, you’d be wishing them good luck. It derives from ‘dar’, which means ‘gift’ or ‘present’. It’s also where we get ‘nazdar’, which takes third place to ‘ahoj’ and ‘čau’ in the ‘how to greet your Continue reading

Na výsledku II was named in 1947. Remember yesterday’s very ‘OK, let’s give this street a name, but let’s not waste our imagination’ story? Well, just to show even less imagination, the name was given to not one street, but two. Continue reading

Na výsledku I was named in 1947. A ‘výsledek’ is a result, outcome, score, etc. It’ll be (extremely) clear to anyone following these recent posts that there was a lot of construction of residential buildings around here in the 1930s and 1940s. A lot. By 1947, this street didn’t have a name yet. Not feeling Continue reading

Družnosti was built in 1934. ‘Družnost’ would typically be translated as ‘sociability’ or ‘gregariousness’. Both of which are fine qualities. However, the street name comes from that which has been discussed a lot in recent posts: this area, formerly part of the Jezerka farmstead (https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2025/03/19/prague-4-day-51-na-jezerce/), was sold to construction cooperatives (družstva) so that they could Continue reading

U Slovanské Pojišťovny was built in 1934. In 1920, Viktor Rašín, a financier and economist, founded Slovanská pojišťovna a záložna (Slavic Insurance and Savings Bank). Its headquarters were at 66 Wenceslas Square (sadly not one of the many buildings covered on https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2024/09/17/prague-1-day-123-vaclavske-namesti/). The Rašíns were quite high-profile in the early days of Czechoslovakia: Viktor’s brother, Continue reading

U družstva Život was built in 1934. Another day, another case where a construction cooperative built the homes in the street: its name, ‘Život’, translates as ‘life’. Which makes it pretty damn unsearchable, but at least we can compensate today with some phrases. ‘Posmrtný život’ is ‘life after death’, or the afterlife; a ‘příběh ze života’ is Continue reading

U družstva Repo was built in 1938. As discussed on https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2025/03/28/prague-4-day-60-druzstevni-ochoz/, everything in this (just about) circle is all about the družstva, or cooperatives. In this case of this street, all the homes were built by a construction cooperative called Repo. The word ‘repo’ relates to a lending rate, but it seems there’s nothing about Continue reading

Rovnoběžná was named in 1952. ‘Rovnoběžná’ is the feminine version of ‘rovnoběžný’, which translates as ‘parallel’. And, because everything is about Družstevní ochoz (https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2025/03/28/prague-4-day-60-druzstevni-ochoz/) round here, this street is parallel to that one. Such is the importance of The Ochoz that the two addresses on Rovnoběžná, located between Družstevní ochoz 30 and 36, are numbered Continue reading

K ochozu was given its name in 1952. It leads to (k) Družstevní ochoz, which we discussed yesterday: https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2025/03/28/prague-4-day-60-druzstevni-ochoz/. Yes, that was incredibly brief, but that feels quite fitting for a street which has a grand total of one address on it. Continue reading

Družstevní ochoz was built in 1941, and has an excellent shape. ‘Družstevní’ is the adjective deriving from ‘družstvo’, which means ‘cooperative’. Everything within that circle of sorts consists of residential homes built by cooperatives. ‘Ochoz’, meanwhile, would translate as ‘gallery’, but not in the art sense: it’s a ‘a space allowing longitudinal passage through walls’. Continue reading