What's in a Prague street name

Every street in Prague, one by one.

  • Prague 3, day 62: Plavínová

    Originally published on Twitter on 24 June 2022. Plavínová was built in 1998 (making it newest street yet, but only until tomorrow). A plavín štítnatý, or plavín leknínovitý, or Nymphoides peltata, has its fair share of names in English too: fringed water lily, yellow floating heart, floating heart, water fringe or entire marshwort. It’s a perennial that grows in… Continue reading

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  • Prague 3, day 61: Na Mokřině

    Originally published on Twitter on 23 June 2022. Na Mokřině was built in 1925. Quite a straightforward one this time: a mokřina is a marsh, fen or bog. Unrelatedly, Mokřina is also the name of a village in Cheb district, called Krottensee until 1948. Continue reading

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  • Prague 3, day 60: Mezi Domky

    Originally published on Twitter on 22 June 2022. Mezi Domky was built in 1925. It translates as ‘Between the houses’. The street is so named because of its location, between houses built as Prague’s population soared in the early 1920s. A domek is smaller than a regular dům. However, many of these houses are no… Continue reading

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  • Prague 3, day 59: Za Vackovem

    Originally published on Twitter on 21 June 2022. Za Vackovem was built in 1925. It translates as ‘behind Vackov’. We’ve discussed the Josef Vacek after whom Vackov was named here: https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2022/11/20/prague-3-day-57-na-vackove/. So, as bonus material, here are two renowned Josef Vaceks whom Vackov was *not* named after. First up is Josef Vacek (born in Příbram… Continue reading

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  • Prague 3, day 58: Na Rovnosti

    Originally published on Twitter on 20 June 2022. Na Rovnosti was built in 1925. Very literal translation: ‘On Equality’. The street is so called because the terrain around it is rovinatý. Flat, level, plain. You get it. It would be much more awesome if the name were something to do with Volnost, rovnost, bratrství, AKA… Continue reading

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  • Prague 3, day 57: Na Vackově

    Originally posted on Twitter on 19 June 2022. Na Vackově was built in 1906. It was called Vackov until 1925, when its name underwent a subtle change. Vackov is another district of Žižkov, located directly west of Jarov (see https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2022/11/19/prague-3-day-30-na-jarove/). Until 1949, Vackov was part of Praha XIII – Staré Strašnice. Vackov is named after… Continue reading

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  • Prague 3, day 56: Na Chmelnici

    Originally published on Twitter on 18 June 2022. Na Chmelnici was built in 1925. We’ve already covered what a chmelnice is here: https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2022/11/19/prague-3-day-40-k-chmelnici/. But, whereas K Chmelnici (north side of Koněvova) heads towards the hop garden, Na Chmelnici (south side of Koněvova) is meant to be where it’s at. (It’s not, at least anymore; just… Continue reading

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  • Prague 3, day 55: Pod Jarovem

    Pod Jarovem was built in 1925, and translate as ‘under Jarov’. And Jarov, the district we’re in (or potentially just outside of if we’re ‘pod’ it?), is described on https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2022/11/19/prague-3-day-30-na-jarove/. There are some other Jarovs around the country too, for example in north Plzeň district: https://oujarov.cz and, erm, in south Plzeň district: https://obecjarov.cz. And a… Continue reading

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  • Prague 3, day 54: V Zeleni

    V Zeleni was built in 1935. It translates as ‘in green’, ‘in green vegetation’ / ‘in greenery’ / ‘in verdure’, etc. As if that name needed any explanation, V Zeleni leads into https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2022/11/19/prague-3-day-29-v-zahradkach/, ‘In the gardens’. Which has https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2022/11/20/prague-3-day-48-pod-lipami/ (under the lindens) at its northernmost point. And ‘flowery’ a little bit further down: https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2022/11/20/prague-3-day-52-kvetinkova/. You… Continue reading

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  • Prague 3, day 53: Schöfflerova

    Originally published on Twitter on 15 June 2022. Schöfflerova was built in 1925. Josef Schöffler, also Schäffler, was a typographer and co-founder of the Cooperative for the Construction of Workers’ Flats and Family Houses in Žižkov (Družstvo pro stavbu dělnických bytů a rodiných domků na Žižkově). Sources say that Schöffler died in World War I,… Continue reading

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  • Prague 3, day 52: Květinková

    Originally published on Twitter on 14 June 2022. Květinková was built in 1947. If something is květinový, it’s floral or flowery. And it certainly does get that way round here. Make it květinkový, and it’s still floral… but the flowers are presumably that little bit cuter. For vocabulary fans, a květinový záhon is a flowerbed,… Continue reading

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  • Prague 3, day 51: Malešická

    Originally published on Twitter on 13 June 2022. Malešícká was built in 1931. The road leads to Malešice, a district which is located (mainly) in Prague 9 and (partially) in Prague 10. In the 1980s, archeologists discovered pieces of chipped stone from the late Paleolithic period in Malešice, making it the first safely proven Paleolithic… Continue reading

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  • Prague 3, day 50: Habrová

    Originally published on Twitter on 12 June 2022. Habrová was built in 1976. Continuing the tree theme, a habr is a hornbeam (Carpinus), a hardwood tree which is mainly used for ornamental purposes. There are many species of the hornbeam, but the only one that exists in the Czech Republic is the ‘Carpinus betulus’, the… Continue reading

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  • Prague 3, day 49: Buková

    Originally published on Twitter on 11 June 2022. Buková was built in 1962. We’re still on the trees, and a buk is a beech (Fagus). In Central Europe, the beech is the main feature of deciduous forests. In the Czech Republic, the tree has also given its name to a village of 303 people in… Continue reading

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  • Prague 3, day 48: Pod Lipami

    Originally published on 10 June 2022. Pod Lipami was built in 1925. Continuing yesterday’s tree theme (https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2022/11/20/prague-3-day-47-osikova/), ‘Pod lipami’ translates as ‘under the linden trees’. Which makes this Prague’s answer to Berlin’s famous ‘Unter den Linden’ (except it doesn’t). If we’re talking about lindens in different languages, the Romanian for ‘linden’ is tei, and ‘love… Continue reading

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  • Prague 3, day 47: Osiková

    Originally published on Twitter on 9 June 2022. Special ‘unintentional advertising for Kaufland’ edition: Osiková, a relative newbie built in 1976. An osika is an aspen tree, or ‘Populus tremula’. It’s a tree from the willow family. Other Czech names for the tree are topol osika (aspen poplar) or osika obecná (common aspen). I’m no… Continue reading

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  • Prague 3, day 46: Nad Ohradou

    Originally published on Twitter on 8 June 2022. Nad Ohradou was built in 1975. You can find out about Ohrada, a vineyard that was first mentioned in 1455, and which this street is ‘above’, here: https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2022/11/19/prague-3-day-11-na-ohrade/. Except that there’s actually new stuff to say about Ohrada in the month since I originally tweeted about it.… Continue reading

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  • Prague 3, day 45: Kunešova

    Kunešova was built in 1977, making it the newest street to date. And we’re back on the Hussites! Kuneš z Bělovic (born in the 14th century) was a comrade of Jan Žižka. The first written mention of him is from 1422, when he tried to overthrow Sigismund Korybut (Zikmund Korybutovič), who was acknowledged as governor of… Continue reading

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  • Prague 3, day 44: V Bezpečí

    Originally published on Twitter on 6 June 2022. V Bezpečí was built in 1938, and translates as ‘in safety’. Two options come to mind. Firstly, I’ve mentioned more than once that it’s really lovely and quiet round here. On the other hand, the street is close to Strážní (https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2022/11/19/prague-3-day-7-strazni/), and stráž means ‘guard’. It’s also… Continue reading

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  • Prague 3, day 43: Na Vlastním

    Originally published on Twitter on 5 June 2022. Na Vlastním was built in 1925. To tell the story, you may wish to go back to https://whatsinapraguestreetname.com/2022/11/19/prague-3-day-32-v-domove/, which describes how this neighbourhood came about. Apparently, Vlastní, like Domov, was a construction cooperative that built a large number of the homes round here. (Do go for a… Continue reading

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