Fire and the Famous Names in the Prague district of Pohořelec
This is a very quiet place with a magnificent location for those who are able to appreciate the beauty and the atmosphere of the old city of Prague. If you live here, meeting tourists is inevitable. However, it is more peaceful than the burgeoning chaos such as there is for example within the luxury Old Town.
There are records of the district of Pohořelec as far back as the Chronicle of Kosmas. In the 11th century it was the suburb of Hradčany, which served as a market settlement. At the end of the century it was destroyed by fire and the same disaster happened a few centuries later the during bloody fights with the Hussites.
But the fire has not been extinguished for long. In 1541 the place went up in flames again, only to be repeated once more in the 18th century, when the French broke into the capital. As must be clear to you now, this is what the quarter was named after (Trans. Note: Pohořelec means Burned Down). The quarter was allegedly named Pohořelec as far back as in the 14th century, but fires continued to trouble the place even much later. We only hope that it will not be repeated...
Pohořelec is not known only for fires
The place is not only famous for destructive fires. Here you can find houses of admirable architecture, with notable historical gables, luxurious façades and house emblems. An interesting monument to the past times is the house Golden Lion (U Zlatého lva) or the luxurious Golden Tree (U Zlatého stromu).
Pohořelec spreads between the Loreto Street and Úvoz, leading to Prague Castle. And in the centre of this area you can find the proud dominant, the memorial of Saint John of Nepomuk.
We have one more interesting piece of information: at the turn of the 16th and 17th century there was a luxury observatory of the famous astrologist, Tycho de Brahe, who worked together with Jan Kepler.
The Legend of Pohořelec
Every magical and charming place such as this must have its own legend. Pohořelec has one, too. It says that this is the place where countess Drahomíra was punished for her shameful deed; she plotted the murder of her mother-in-law, St. Ludmila at the Tetín fortress. This is where Drahomíra plunged into the burning flames of Hell for her appalling act!
