A previously unnamed stretch of Prague’s riverside in Malá Strana, between Charles Bridge and the Liechtenstein Palace, will soon bear the name of the late politician and diplomat Karel Schwarzenberg.

City councillors approved the decision on Monday, following a proposal from the Prague 1 district and a recommendation by the city’s toponymy commission, which oversees place names.

Schwarzenberg, a respected statesman and long-standing figure in Czech public life, died in Vienna in November 2023 at the age of 85.

Prague 1 mayor Terezie Radoměřská (TOP 09), a relative of Schwarzenberg, described the site as “small but picturesque,” directly beside Charles Bridge. She said the choice reflected Schwarzenberg’s modest character and lifelong bond with Prague.

His son, Jan Schwarzenberg, head of the family, has already given his approval. A local petition supporting the initiative also gathered signatures.

The decision is unusual, as Prague rarely names public spaces after aristocrats. In the upheavals of the 20th century — from the fall of Austria-Hungary to Nazi occupation and communist rule — noble names were systematically erased from the city map.

Belcredi Avenue, once named for Count Richard Belcredi, was renamed several times before becoming today’s Milada Horáková Street, in memory of the democratic politician executed by the communists.

Similarly, František’s Embankment, originally dedicated to Emperor Francis I, became Masaryk’s Embankment after Czechoslovakia’s first president, and is now known as Smetana Embankment after the Czech composer.

Schwarzenberg’s Career

Schwarzenberg’s career spanned decades of Czech and international politics. A member of one of Europe’s oldest noble families, he served twice as foreign minister (2007–2009, 2010–2013), was a long-time member of parliament and senate, and earlier worked as chancellor to President Václav Havel during the post-communist transition.

Known for his wit, modest lifestyle, and outspoken defense of democracy and human rights, Schwarzenberg became a moral voice in Czech politics.

In 2013, he ran for president, reaching the second round. Last year, Prague 1 granted him honorary citizenship posthumously.

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