-
Prague 1, day 218: Červená
Originally published on X on 4 May 2024. I’m not in Prague today, but if you are, and have cleaning tools and a ladder, here’s an idea for a fun day out. ‘Červená’ means ‘red’. Jewish butchers had their shops round here, and these were painted red. Originally, the street was called Řeznická (a ‘řezník’… Continue reading
-
Prague 1, day 217: Pařížská
Originally published on X on 3 May 2024. Paříž is the capital of Francie, and I’m now realising that I somehow haven’t been since 2016. Here are two photos from that day. I’ve mentioned the ‘asanace’ (rehabilitation) of Prague at the start of the 20th century several times, mainly to talk about things that were… Continue reading
-
Prague 1, day 216: Jáchymova
Originally published on X on 2 May 2024. According to Christianity, Joachim lived from about 100-75 BC to about 10 BC, i.e. not quite long enough to become the world’s braggiest grandparent, because his daughter was Mary, and his grandson was, therefore, Jesus. Among the more well-known variants of his name, we have Joaquín (Spanish),… Continue reading
-
Prague 1, day 215: Maiselova
Originally published on X on 1 May 2024. Mordecai Meisel was born in Prague in 1528 (the oldest mention of a member of the Meisel family living in Prague dates from 1425). Moredcai, meanwhile, is first mentioned in writing in 1569; he was a banker and businessman who eventually became a member of the court… Continue reading
-
Prague 1, day 214: Široká
Originally published on X on 30 April 2024. Starting this story a bit to the north: Štvanice is an island between Karlín and Holešovice; you’re most likely to know it for its tennis arena which hosts the WTA Prague Open. Anyway, once upon a time, there was a ford at Štvanice, and there was a… Continue reading
-
Prague 1, day 213: Na rejdišti
Originally published on X on 29 April 2024. A ‘rejdiště’ is a riding stable – in modern Czech, we would call this a ‘jízdárna’ – and one was inaugurated around here in 1660. More specifically, ‘around here’ means ‘number 2 Alšovo nabřezí’ (https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2024/10/22/prague-1-day-210-alsovo-nabrezi-ales-embankment/), which, nowadays, is called Prádlo or Na Prádle, was built in the… Continue reading
-
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
-
Prague 1, day 210: Alšovo nábřeží (Aleš Embankment)
Originally published on X on 26 April 2024. Mikoláš Aleš was born in Mirotice, in Southern Bohemia, in 1852. He started drawing at the age of four, later taking up painting. In 1869, he enrolled in Prague’s Academy of Fine Arts. He was later expelled (in 1876) after taking part in a demonstration against a… Continue reading
-
Prague 1, day 209: Veleslavínova
Originally published on X on 25 April 2024. Daniel Adam was born into a well-off family in Prague in 1546. After studying history at Prague University, he lectured there from 1569 to 1576. Also in 1576, he married Anna Melantrichová, daughter of the famous publisher Jiří Melantrich (https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2024/10/14/prague-1-day-194-melantrichova/), and started to work at his father-in-law’s… Continue reading
-
Prague 1, day 208: Valentinská
Originally published on X on 24 April 2024. I think we can skip the part in which I explain what St Valentine is the saint of, and the date on which we celebrate him. But here’s some music. Anyway, from about 1253, St Valentine’s Church stood here, where, rather than the current-day street, there was… Continue reading
-
Prague 1, day 207: Žatecká
Originally published on X on 23 April 2024. Žatec is a town of approximately 19,000 inhabitants in the Ústí Region, named after a hillfort which existed there in the early 10th century. It was an important city in Hussite times – when preachers predicted that it was one of five cities which would survive the… Continue reading
-
Prague 1, day 206: Kaprova
Originally published on X on 22 April 2024. This is one of the oldest streets in Prague, originally connecting Old Town Square – the city’s main marketplace – with a ford across the Vltava, where the Rudolfinum is now. The street was originally called Svatovalentinská, which there’ll be more about in two threads’ time. Number… Continue reading
-
Prague 1, day 205: Mikulášská
Originally posted on X on 21 April 2024. And once again, I remind myself that ‘Mikuláš’ is Czech for ‘Nicholas’. Saint Nicholas (of Bari) died in 343, and was known for secret gift-giving, hence Dutch folklore coming up with Sinterklaas, who is one of the sources for Santa Claus. Saint Nicholas is also the patron… Continue reading
-
Prague 1, day 204: Náměstí Franze Kafky
Originally published on X on 20 April 2024. Franz Kafka was born in a house on the present-day square in 1883. It was called U Věže (At The Tower), and was destroyed as part the ‘clean-up’ operation in the Old Town in 1897. His father, Hermann, was originally from Osek, a South Bohemian village with… Continue reading
-
Prague 1, day 203: U Radnice
Originally published on X on 16 April 2024. In the 14th century, this street became part of the marketplace that we now know as Old Town Square (https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2024/10/12/prague-1-day-190-staromestske-namesti-old-town-square/). Sellers of bridles (Czech: uzdy) operated here, and the street became known as V uzdářích or Pod uzdáři for a couple of hundred years. Back on current-day… Continue reading
-
Prague 1, day 202: Linhartská
Originally published on X on 15 April 2024. Svatý Linhart is Leonard of Noblac (died 559), who is closely associated with the Limousin region of France, where he lived as a hermit. He’s the patron saint of imprisoned people, including political prisoners and prisoners of war. As well being the patron saint of horses, and… Continue reading
-
Prague 1, day 201: Mariánské náměstí
Originally published on X on 14 April 2024. A long time ago, there was a village here called Na Louži. A ‘louže’ is a puddle or a pool, and the name possibly came from the fact that the area, not being too far from the Vltava, was vulnerable to flooding. In what is now the… Continue reading
-
Prague 1, day 200: Platnéřská
Originally published on X on 13 April 2024. Originally, the street was called ‘Ostrožná’ or ‘Ostrožnická’, because an ‘ostroh’ is a spur, and spur-makers set up shop in this area. A ‘plát’, meanwhile, is, yes, a plate, as in an iron or a steel one. Therefore, a ‘platnéř’ would be a platemaker, but, rather than… Continue reading
-
Prague 1, day 199: Křižovnická
Originally published on X on 12 April 2024. For the name of the street, see https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2024/10/16/prague-1-day-198-krizovnicke-namesti/. And, for evidence of the Knights of the Cross with the Red Star – including the Red Star itself – see this close-up of the monastery building. The monastery takes up a large part of one side of the… Continue reading
-
Subscribe
Subscribed
Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
What's in a Prague street name 