I'm moving to the tanners: A street known for craftsmen with an authentic Prague atmosphere
The border of the Old Town and New Town in Prague offers not only interesting architecture, nice nooks and authentic Prague atmosphere, but also a multitude of elements of authentic civic amenities within reach. However, the initial question is, who were the tanners?
V Jirchářích Street is certainly one of the most clumsy names in all of Prague. It is also associated with a linguistic curiosity, when it is correctly spelled with a capital J, but since it refers to the name of a profession, in older texts we often find a small J and Prague as a city adheres to this older spelling.
And who were these tanners? Craftsmen who processed skins. They were also called white tanners, according to the finer material they dedicated themselves to. They primarily processed skins from lambs and kids used for glove sewing.
In the shadow of one of the oldest Prague churches
The remains of the Jirchář workshops are no longer located in the street, named after their craft, but archaeologists discovered casks embedded in the ground used for making fine leather in the nearby Opatovická street. This part of the town was part of the Opatovice municipality, before progressing urbanism swallowed it up and integrated it into the central part of Prague.
The street is located exactly on the border between the Old and New Town. A authentic monument to the times when Prague was not one city, but a tripartite conurbation, are the nearby fortification towers hidden behind rows of houses on Národní.
The historical landmark of V Jirchářích street is the church of St. Michael on the corner with Opatovická street. Prague truly has a hundred spires, but the church originally built in the Romanesque style is among the oldest. Today, however, it offers another advantage. In its vicinity there is a garden, which is freely accessible and especially in the summer months it is convenient for sitting in the greenery, as the old building in the area throws a cool shade.
Although the street is really in the middle of the Czech metropolis, those who want to relax in the shade of trees have many options. Literally around the corner are Slovanský and Střelecký Island with their parks. On Slovanský Island, children will appreciate the miniature replica of a steam train. The Czech Lion cub train is a globally unique replica of a steam train from 1841.
By metro to the award-winning playground and in the footsteps of Dan Brown
If children are not exactly enthusiastic historians, thanks to the availability of metro B and tram lines, they can easily get to a much newer playground. On Prague 1, there is also Lannova Park, recently awarded the Czech Quality Award.
"The park has already received an award once. Now it has shown that thanks to regular maintenance by the Department of Environment it looks great even after many years. Architect Sendler is a recognized landscape designer. His parks are characterized by timelessness and long life," said Deputy Mayor for the Environment Kateřina Klasnová for magazine Jedna.
But back to Jirchářská Street. In it lies a number of architecturally significant houses. If anyone was inquiring about the curiosities related to them, for example, in the house U tří pivoněk, the famous music composer Bedřich Smetana lived during his stays in Prague.
Few would then expect to find a piece of overseas exoticism here, yet it is so. Another of the historic houses is today the embassy of the United States of Mexico.
A number of famous sites are accessible on foot or via a nearby metro station from the location. Charles Bridge, Charles Square with a park, or Café Slavia are literally around the corner, and these unique places can be savored by anyone, perhaps at a time when the most intense tourist rush in their vicinity subsides.
If someone wants to enjoy old, well-known Prague through a new lens, it is becoming increasingly popular to explore places featured in the latest book of the famous best-selling author Dan Brown. You can just walk down the National Avenue, cross to the Na Příkopě street, by the way, its name refers to the castle moat behind the Old Town that bordered the original city, and turn around the Estates Theater into Kožná Street. The author was interested in the fact that Egon Erwin Kisch or Prague's most famous prostitute Tonka Šibenice used to reside here.
Sources: original text, One, overenorodici.cz, praha.aiscr.cz,
