Na Slupi was built in 1448 and was called Slupská until 1870.
Sometimes we go *way* back. And, the further back we go, the more likely it often becomes that we don’t entirely know where street names come from.
It’s likely that, before the New Town was founded in 1348, there was a manor here by the Botič, which is the stream located round here (more on this in about 25 streets’ time).
Theory No. 1 concerns a slup, an old Czech word that isn’t in use anymore; apparently, it’s a wooden basket that you place in a weir in order to catch fish.
I am a total non-fisherman, so please let me know if there’s an English word for this.
Elsewhere in the Czech Republic, there’s a village called Slup in Znojmo District, one called Sloupno near Hradec Králové, and a small town called Sloupnice near Litomyšl. All are also believed to be named after this device.
Theory No. 2 suggests that the manor was built on pillars – na sloupích.
From 1940 to 1945, this was Gebhardova, after Gebhart (also known as Jaromír), who was the fourth son of Břetislav I and Jitka, and was Bishop of Prague from 1067 until his death in 1090.
Svatopluk, meanwhile, was born around 840, and was reportedly the nephew of Rastislav (below), the second known leader of the Great Moravian Empire.
It was Rastislav who got Byzantine Emperor Michael III to send Cyril and Methodius over in order to educate local Moravians as priests.
In 870, Svatopluk decided that standing by your uncle is overrated, and announced he would obey Carloman of Bavaria in future (below, looking like an annoyed Simpson), not Rastislav.
Rastislav tried to get Svatopluk killed.
Svatopluk captured Rastislav and handed him over to Carloman.
Carloman sentenced Rastislav to death, but later decided to merely imprison him for life.
Svatopluk hoped to rule the rest of Great Moravia, but Carloman was having none of it, and two Frankish lords (and brothers), Wilhelm and Engelschalk, got it instead.
Svatopluk, meanwhile, was put in prison for being ‘disloyal’.
Believing Svatopluk was dead, the Moravians elected a new leader, Slavomír.
Is this what whoever put that death hoax out last week was trying to achieve in the Czech presidentials? It was probably easier in the 870s.
Carloman then decided to release Svatopluk from prison, as long he promised to fight on his side against Slavomír.
Svatopluk then defected and launched a huge attack on the Bavarian forces, who left, leaving Svatopluk as leader of Great Moravia.
After Svatopluk repealed further Frankish attacks in 871 and 872, the conflict was ended by the Peace of Forchheim in 874.
Svatopluk was now free to expand his territory – adding, for example, Silesia (in 880) and Bohemia (in 890, after the death of Bořivoj).
During Svatopluk’s reign, the Frankish and Byzantine Christian missions in Moravia got into some pretty big arguments. I
n 880, Pope John VIII ruled in favour of the Byzantines, naming Methodius archbishop (Cyril had died in 869), and recognising the Old Slavonic liturgy.
(Painting is ‘The Introduction of the Slavonic Liturgy’ by Alfons Mucha, 1912)
Svatopluk died in 894; Great Moravia would fall apart twelve years later, after wars with Hungary and Bohemia’s decision to secede (895).
Meanwhile, soon after Svatopluk’s death, the Latin liturgy took hold, and Cyril and Methodius’ pupils were banished.
Nuselský most – Nusle Bridge – was opened in 1973.
The first discussions about building a bridge here occurred at the start of the 20th century, but it took over sixty years – and the appearance of the high rises of Pankrác – for its construction to become a priority.
The bridge was to include an underground tramline, which ultimately became the C line of the Prague metro.
If you’ve ever wondered why Hlavní nádraží metro station has adjoining tracks, much like a regular tramline, it’s because its construction started in 1966, before the decision to make this change occurred.
Interestingly, this isn’t why Vyšehrad station has the same setup – that one is apparently because of the station’s location / shape, for reasons I understand in my head but am too scientifically challenged to explain coherently.
Here’s a video of some houses in the Nusle valley being destroyed in 1965 to make way for the bridge, accompanied by some inappropriately jaunty music:
And here’s a brief 1968 piece about the construction:
The bridge – known as Most Klementa Gottwalda, after Klement Gottwald (1896-1953), first Communist leader of Czechoslovakia and murderous old bastard – opened in 1973.
Vyšehrad metro station, opened a year later, was named Gottwaldova.
Both received their current names in 1990.
Sadly, the main thing many people in Prague will think of when they think of the bridge is its popularity as a suicide spot.
Pod Karlovem is literally under Karlov, which is an area in Prague’s New Town, directly north of the Nusle valley.
In 1350, Karel IV ordered the building of the Klášter augustiniánů kanovníků / Monastery of Augustinian Canons (located on what is now Boženy Němcové), as part of his efforts to raise Prague’s international prestige.
It was consecrated in 1377, and, somewhat predictably, got abandoned during the Hussite wars. Canons returned in 1437.
Further renovations took place in 1498 and 1575, although the building was then severely damaged by lightning in 1603.
During the Passau Invasion of Bohemia in 1611, the abbot and several canons were murdered.
For a period after the Thirty Years’ War, the buildings were used as an armoury, but later reverted to their previous use.
When Joseph II cancelled the monastery – and many others – in 1785, it became a mental health hospital.
The City of Prague turned the premises into a depository in 1948, into the Museum of the Border Guard into 1960, and into the Museum of the National Security Corps in 1973.
Until 1947, this was Přemyslovo náměstí, after Přemysl Oráč, AKA Where It All Began (see recent posts for brief details).
From 1947 to 1952, it was Hašlerovo náměstí, after Karel Hašler (1879-1941), a songwriter and actor (and supporter of Czech fascism…), who was murdered at Mauthausen in 1941, having been arrested due to his patriotic songs.
He also taught at the Czechoslovak Business Academy (1903-19 – teaching languages, which he had studied at Charles University) and the Prague Conservatory (1926-29).
He conducted in other European cities too. Here’s a great picture of him in Bucharest in 1929 (he’s the first on the left).
There are two particularly interesting theories as to where his name came from.
One is that, while Přemysl thought a lot, and had ambitions, Nezamysl… did not.
Another is that the seven mythical princes were derived from Old Slavic names for days of the week – with Nezamysl being Sunday.
Nezamysl’s name is given in Chronica Boemorum, written by Cosmas of Prague between 1119 and 1125. However, we don’t know much about him, a problem not exactly solved by the fact that he possibly didn’t exist.
He ruled after Přemysl – and was therefore possibly his son – and was followed by Mnata. Who doesn’t get a street in Nusle or anywhere else in Prague.
Nezamysl does appear in the million-selling 2012 video game Crusader Kings II, in which he apparently tries to attack Bavaria, only for his army to get crushed at Regensburg.
Until 1947, this was Přemyslovo nábřeží (Přemysl Embankment), after Přemysl Oráč, or Přemysl the Ploughman, husband of Libuše and ancestor of the Přemyslid dynasty.
Ivan Sekanin was born in Nové Město na Moravě in 1900.
He studied law at Charles University and joined the Czechoslovak National Socialist Party (which was a democratic socialist party and not affiliated with the Nazi Party).
He moved left and joined the Communist Party in 1925. As a lawyer, he went about protecting Communists from justice.
He joined and/or several communist / anti-fascist organisations, including the Left Front / Levá fronta), the Communist Party’s grouping of intellectuals.
In 1938, he was one of the organisers of Věrni zůstaneme, an anti-Nazi petition committee.
As soon as the Nazis established the Protectorate in March 1939, Sekanin was arrested and sent to Pankrác, then to Berlin.
A political trial, due to be held there, was cancelled, and he was sent to Sachsenhausen, where he died in May 1940, aged 39.
Anyone who read yesterday’s post will remember that Oldřich blinded his own brother AND HE STILL GETS A STREET NAMED AFTER HIM.
Begrudgingly, here’s his bio.
Oldřich was the youngest son of Boleslav II, and his mother was either Boleslav’s second wife (possibly called Božena) or Boleslav’s third wife (possibly called Juta).
Like Jaromír, Oldřich fled Bohemia to escape the cruelty of their brother Boleslav The Sh*tbag, sorry, III, and returned with Jaromír when the latter became Duke in 1004.
However, in 1012, Oldřich led a rebellion against his brother, became Duke himself, and had many of Jaromír’s supporters killed while his brother took refuge in Utrecht.
Gradually, Oldřich managed to win Moravia back from Poland, a process completed in 1031. He put his illegitimate son Břetislav (who would himself be Duke of Bohemia from 1034 to 1055) in charge.
Oldřich was deposed by the Holy Roman Emperor, Konrad II, in 1033, seemingly for being too supportive of Poland. Jaromír was reinstated, and Oldřich was banished to Bavaria.
However, in 1034, he was released, and went back to Bohemia, where he promptly blinded his brother, who, let us not forget, had already been castrated by another brother.
Oldřich died later that year, apparently ‘between eating and drinking’. Poor old Jaromír understandably refused to contest the throne again, and Břetislav became Břetislav I.
Jaromír was another Přemyslid, born around 975 as the son of Boleslav II.
His older brother, Boleslav III, was a bit of a sh*t – he had Jaromír castrated so that he could never produce an heir to the throne.
Fleeing to Bavaria with his mother in 1001, he returned in 1003, when Boleslav the Brave (of Poland) declared him Prince of Bohemia. However, he had to flee from his brother again in the same year.
Jaromír came back in 1004, and, with the support of Henry II, the Holy Roman Emperor, ruled Bohemia until 1012, when he was deposed by his brother Oldřich, who also had him blinded and exiled.
With the support of Conrad II, Holy Roman Emperor, Jaromír was able to regain the throne in 1033, but Oldřich was restored a year later.
Jaromír was imprisoned at Lysá nad Labem, and was murdered there by members of the Vršovec clan in 1035, apparently while on the toilet.
Bořivoj died around 890, and Spytihněv was too young to rule, so the job was passed to Svatopluk I of Moravia until his death in 894, at which point Spytihněv declared himself prince.
In 895, he travelled to the Reichstag in Regensburg to develop ties with Arnulf of Carinthia, who was then also King of East Francia, to which Bohemia joined in order to shake off Moravian rule.
Spytihněv created a series of castles in Central Bohemia, including at Mělník, Libušín and Stará Boleslav. He also continued to develop Prague Castle – whose construction had started in 870 – as the Přemyslids’ administrative centre.
Spytihněv (left) died in either 905 or 915, and, while he left a wife, the marriage was childless – so his brother Vladislav became prince.
Svatopluk’s death in 894, meanwhile, triggered a power struggle between his sons, and within 15 years, Great Moravia would be no more.
Folimanka, a vineyard, was first mentioned in writing way back in 1353. It was owned by one Jakub Foliman. An orchard of apricots was added within the following century, and, in the 19th century, a homestead was created here.
In 1918, the homestead was purchased by an association that intended to create an orthopaedic centre for children, but this never materialised.
The vineyard was probably converted into a park around 1930, which is also when the street was built; the homestead was demolished when Nusle Bridge (coming up in this series) was constructed in 1969.
* (I can see how that one glance at it would make you think ‘yeah, no sh*t’)
It’s principally used by basketball team USK Praha (http://uskpraha.cz), a 14-time national champion.
Folimanka also has a communist-era nuclear bunker, which is open on one Saturday in each month. Dates for 2023 are on here: https://krytfolimanka.cz/en/
It’s documented that Matěj Rejsek was born around 1445 in Prostějov. What isn’t documented is whether this is the Prostějov that’s near Chrudim or the one that’s in Moravia.
Graduating in liberal arts from Prague University in 1469, he then became a rector at Týn School in the Old Town. In the 1470s, he also trained as a stonemason.
Anybody who feels their career isn’t progressing quickly enough should look away now: by 1478, he was entrusted with the design of the Prašná brána / Powder Tower in Prague. You’ll recognise it: https://prague.eu/cs/objevujte/prasna-brana?back=1
According to the Czech Chronicles, he was also entrusted with this job because he was ‘velmi vtipný a myslivý’. Tldr: never underestimate the power of being a good laugh.
The road the Powder Gate was on led from Prague to Kutná Hora – which is where Rejsek moved to in 1489, where he had been asked to work on completing St. Barbara’s Church (Chrám svaté Barbory).
Work on the Church had been interrupted by the Hussite Wars, and, despite half a century or so passing since then, hadn’t resumed.
Until 1940, and again from 1945 to 1947, this was Vyšehradská. I won’t explain that one any further for now, as: a) you’ve already guessed; b) there’s a current Prague 2 street called that anyway (spoiler alert).
Sarajevo, of course, is the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and deserves to be known for much more than 1914 and 1992-6. Cue some photos of mine from my visits there.
And some more.
And, while I said it deserves to be known for more than 1914 and 1992-6, when you walk around a cemetery like this and see so many graves with ‚1992‘ on them (including people who were younger than you, and you were 10 at the time)… it really, really hits you.
In terms of Czech(oslovak) connections, I once read that Czechoslovak experts were responsible, or partly responsible, for the city’s urban planning immediately after WW2.
Regarding Bosnians of Czech origin, Dražen Ričl, first singer of legendary rock band Crvena jabuka (and also a comedian), was born in Sarajevo in 1962, apparently to a Czech father (says English Wikipedia).
While the band still exists, Ričl died tragically young in a car crash – in 1986, when he was 24 – just six months after their debut album was released.
And Milan Gorkić, General Secretary of the Yugoslavian Communist Party from 1932 to 1937, was actually born Josef Čižinský in Sarajevo in 1904, to a Czech family. He was executed by the NKVD in 1937.
I hope there’s a time when I can write Sarajevo-related stories with happier endings than these. The place deserves them.
Josef Václav Frič was born in 1829 in Prague. His father was Josef František Frič, a patriotic poet and professor at Charles University.
In 1848, he became head of a radical student association, Slávie, and encouraged students to take to the barricades in the Prague Uprising. He also arranged a ceremony at Ruzyně to commemorate the Battle of Bílá Hora.
After the uprising failed, he fled to Slovakia to fight against the Hungarians. He returned to Prague in 1849, but was arrested during preparations for a new rebellion. In 1851, he was sentenced to 18 years in prison for treason. He was pardoned in 1854.
In the 1860s and 1870s, he moved from place to place – London, Paris, Berlin, Budapest, Zagreb, St Petersburg and Rome – but didn’t find sufficient support for his political plans (which were to separate Bohemia from Austria-Hungary entirely).
However, there’s still something special to say about Pod Zvonařkou: in 1889, number 65 was purchased by one Antonín Chmel, who used it to expand his budding business, exporting Prague ham.
By the time of his death in 1893 (when he was only 42), there were 28 employees, and the ham was exported as far away as Romania; by 1930, there were 250 employees.
Like Žižkov, Vinohrady and many more, Nusle was a separate village, which later became a town, and then became part of Prague in 1922.
First mentioned in the 11th century, it appeared under various names in the Middle Ages: Neosvětly, Nostuly, Nůsly, Neosvitly and Neovstlí.
Interestingly, despite the name of the street, the steps themselves don’t have an official name.
The current set of steps was built in the late 19th century, at the same time as the southern Vinohrady railway tunnels, and the extension of the tram line along Bělehradská.
Originally published on Twitter on 16 January 2023.
U Havlíčkových sadů was built in 1908.
From 1940 to 1945, the street was Grébovky. Which leads us to the fact that the park is known as both Havlíčkovy sady and Grébovka (with Gröbovka also being an option).
It will surprise precisely nobody that area where the park is now used to consist of vineyards.
During the 1860s, Moritz Gröbe, a German businessman who worked in Bohemia, bought the land and decided to have a villa built.
The first villa was knocked down and replaced by another one, which we know as Gröbova vila or Grébovka: https://villagrebovka.cz/
It’s a lovely place to go and get a glass of wine, not least because it has its own vineyard, which produces 4,000 litres of the stuff each year, and organises a wine festival every September.
Originally published on Twitter on 15 January 2023.
Šmilovského was built in 1900.
Alois Schmillauer was born in Mladá Boleslav in 1837. I don’t know when he went from Schmillauer to Šmilovský, but I assume the Czech national cause was involved.
After studying philosophy at Charles University, he became a substitute professor at the gymnasium in Klatovy in 1860, and a full professor in 1868.
While in Klatovy, he also founded the singing club Šumavan, and wrote plays.
In 1873, he became a professor in Litomyšl, where, four years later, he became a school inspector. He died in the same town in 1883, aged 46.
One of his pupils in Klatovy was Jaroslav Vrchlický, as in the sady / park outside the main train station.
