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Prague 1, day 198: Křižovnické náměstí
Originally published on X on 11 April 2024. If you’ve got a vague memory of standing somewhere and thinking it must be the most crowded place in Prague, you may have been in this spot. In 1233, the Knights of the Cross with the Red Star / Rytířský řád Křižovníků s červenou hvězdou – Bohemia’s… Continue reading
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Prague 1, day 197: Seminářská
Originally published on X on 10 April 2024. So I guess anyone who felt I only mentioned the Klementinum very briefly yesterday will feel better now. The name comes from the Church of St Kliment, which the Dominicans moved into in 1227, when they also created a monastery. The monastery was severely damaged by fire… Continue reading
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Prague 1, day 196: Karlova
Originally published on X on 9 April 2024. Charles/Karel/Karl was born in 1316, as the son of John of Bohemia and his wife Elizabeth. Because these family trees aren’t confusing enough, his birth name was actually Václav, but he chose the name Charles at his confirmation. In 1323, his father sent him to France, where… Continue reading
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Prague 1, day 195: Malé náměstí
Originally published on X on 8 April 2024. A street sign that accessorises. I approve. ‘Malé náměstí’ translates as ’Small square’ (and the map above is another excellent reminder that we might translate náměstí as ‘square’, but it doesn’t necessarily need to be shaped like one. And the name – already fairly self-explanatory – makes… Continue reading
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Prague 1, day 194: Melantrichova
Originally published on X on 7 April 2024. Jiřík Černý was born around 1511 in Rožďalovice, near Nymburk, but there are no written mentions of him until 1534, when he gained a bachelor’s degree from the Faculty of Arts at Charles University. At some point (the years after his graduation aren’t well documented either), he… Continue reading
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Prague 1, day 193: Kožná
Originally published on 6 April 2024. ‘Kůže’ means skin, but also leather. There are two modern-day adjectives derived from this: kožní and kožený. ‘Kožná’ is the feminine form of… well, neither, actually. Anyway, in the 18th century, number 8 in the street was a kožnice, i.e. a warehouse and shop for leather goods. Indeed, from… Continue reading
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Prague 1, day 192: Kamzíková
Originally published on X on 5 April 2024. A ‘kamzík’ is a chamois, i.e. a goat-antelope mainly found in the Alps, but also in the Tatras, Carpathians, Balkans and Pyrenees. One has to assume they like mountains. Closer to home, they were planted (can one plant an animal?) into the Sudetes (AKA the Krkonošsko-jesenická subprovincie,… Continue reading
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Prague 1, day 191: Železná
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… Continue reading
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Prague 1, day 190: Staroměstské náměstí (Old Town Square)
Published on X on 2 and 3 April 2024 (there was a fair amount to say). Part 1: the history In 1338, John of Luxembourg (King of Bohemia from 1310 to 1346) gave the Old Town permission to build itself a town hall. This seemed like the perfect location, as a major market had existed… Continue reading
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Prague 1, day 189: Týnská
Originally published on X on 1 April 2024. In 965, Ibrahim ibn Yaqub, an Arabic-speaking, Sephardi Jewish traveller (and probable merchant) whose family came from what is now Tortosa in Catalonia, travelled to Prague. He wrote about his trip – and what he wrote is the oldest written reference to Prague that we have. He… Continue reading
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Prague 1, day 188: Malá Štupartská
Originally published on X on 31 March 2024. Yesterday, I gave you the brief things that we know about Mr Štupart: https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2024/10/12/prague-1-day-187-stupartska/. Today, I’m able to give you the address where he once owned a house (from 1664), but not the house itself, as that was demolished in 1911. The street was originally called Štupartská,… Continue reading
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Prague 1, day 187: Štupartská
Originally published on X on 30 March 2024. According to one source, Petr Štupart z Löwenthal was a hetman (i.e. a military commander) in the imperial army for fifteen years, after which he moved to Prague and worked in the Royal Chamber for three decades. In 1664, Štupart purchased a house in the vicinity, and… Continue reading
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Prague 1, day 186: Templová
Originally published on X on 29 March 2024. Shirley Tem…, no, wait, it’s not 1 April just yet, is it. For the briefest of lessons about the Knights Templar and their time in Prague, take a look at https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2024/10/03/prague-1-day-163-anenske-namesti/. While their main stomping ground was on Anenské náměstí, it seems that they also owned a… Continue reading
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Prague 1, day 185: Jakubská
Originally published on X on 28 March 2024. Wenceslas/Václav I – the ‘One-Eyed’ – became King of Bohemia in 1230. The one eye thing was the result of a childhood hunting trip gone wrong. Which isn’t directly relevant to the story, but somebody was going to ask if I didn’t mention it. Anyway, events in… Continue reading
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Prague 1, day 184: Rybná
Originally published on X on 27 March 2024. While ‘rybná’ is an adjective relating to ‘ryba’, i.e. fish, this area was, around 1200, a popular place for butchers, which led to the street being called ‘Za masnými krámy’ (Behind the Butcher Shops) until the 18th century. In the 18th century, the name changed to ‘Za… Continue reading
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Prague 1, day 183: Králodvorská
Originally published on X on 26 March 2024. Wenceslas/Václav IV became King of Bohemia in 1378, and, like his father, Charles/Karel IV, originally lived at Prague Castle. Václav’s talents included favouritism, being less popular than his father, and not getting on well with his relatives. Such a relative was Charles’s widow, Elizabeth of Pomerania, who… Continue reading
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Prague 1, day 182: U Obecního domu
Originally published on X on 25 March 2024. From 1383 onwards, the Royal Court, which stood here, was the residence of all Czech kings. This state of affairs lasted for a century, until Vladislav II decided that Prague Castle was a nicer location (see https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2024/10/10/prague-1-day-181-u-prasne-brany/). The buildings were used for various purposes after that*, at… Continue reading
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Prague 1, day 181: U Prašné brány
Originally published on X on 24 March 2024. When the Old Town was still surrounded by fortifications, there was a gate here named after St Ambrose, as was a church on nearby Hybernská (see https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2024/09/20/prague-1-day-134-hybernska/). The gate was then renamed Horská, because what is now Hybernská ultimately led to Kutná Hora. Once the Old Town… Continue reading
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Prague 1, day 180: Celetná
Originally published on X on 23 March 2024. A ‘calta’ is a a type of medieval Bohemian pastry. They had some sort of ‘braided’ design on them, which means I’m currently picturing a hot cross bun, but probably more intricate. Google results for this pastry reveal more hits over in Slovakia than here, where it… Continue reading
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Prague 1, day 179: Ovocný trh
Originally published on X on 22 March 2024. ‘Ovocný trh’ translates as ‘fruit market’. You’ve already worked out where this one is going. From the early 1200s, a market selling fruit and vegetables stood here. You were still able to shop at the market in the early 20th century, as evidenced by this postcard from… Continue reading
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What's in a Prague street name 