Malostranská to Become Klárov? Prague Metro Station Names Could Change

City councilors approved on Tuesday a number of new measures for Prague public transport over the next decade, including new names for some stations

Katrina Modrá

Written by Katrina Modrá Published on 10.10.2018 14:42:08 (updated on 10.10.2018) Reading time: 2 minutes

Ever wondered why the Hradčanská metro stop is named for the castle but the castle is 1.8 km away? Or the fact that Malostranská Street doesn’t exist? Or that Vltavská Street is located in Smíchov, 5.5 km away from Vltavská metro station?

Prague city councillors have released a detailed public transport overview for the years 2019-2029 which highlights, among other things, the illogical name choices for Prague’s metro stations.

While the basic objective of the document is to provide city authorities and the public with a more detailed picture of Prague public transport development over the next 10 years, one of the most notable parts of the analysis (which you can view in its entirety here) is the proposed renaming of multiple metro stations.

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“Although the most controversial station names were renamed in 1990, there are still a number of those in the mass transit system that do not match the topography and character of the area,” the document states.

What’s wrong with existing subway station names? Urban planners point out that they don’t make much sense.

Proposed name changes include (current name on the left, proposed change on the right):

  • Dejvická – Vítězné náměstí or Dejvice
  • Hradčanská – Nádraží Dejvice or Bruska
  • Malostranská – Klárov or Malá Strana
  • Staroměstská – Josefov, Staré Město or Náměstí Jana Palacha
  • Muzeum – Národní muzeum
  • Želivského – Jana Želivského or Olšany
  • Strašnická – Strašnice
  • Radlická – Radlice
  • Smíchovské nádraží – Nádraží Smíchov
  • Národní třída – Perštýn
  • Náměstí Republiky – Masarykovo nádraží
  • Křižíkova – Karlín
  • Českomoravská – Aréna Libeň
  • Vysočanská – Nádraží Vysočany
  • Vltavská – Nádraží Bubny
  • Pražského povstání – Náměstí Hrdinů
  • Kačerov – Nádraží Kačerov

The authors of the document say: “This is a very sensitive and serious issue. Any potential change in the name of a metro station must be clearly justified and also have the support of the general public.”

Deputy Mayor Petr Dolínek (ČSSD) told iDNES.cz: “I personally oppose the renaming of subway stations, because Praguers will be confused and tourists are oriented according to the map and the names do not say anything to them.”

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