This street is called Nerudova because the famous Czech writer and journalist Jan Neruda lived on it in 1831-1894 (not to be confused with the Nobel Prize winner Pablo Neruda). Jan was born in the house «У двух солнц», which now bears a commemorative emblem depicting a young man with a shield in his hands and a Masonic triangle. The unusual name «У двух солнц» presumably appeared because the emblem with one sun was already taken, so the owner had to either change the color or the number of suns. He chose the second option.
After his father's death, Jan moved to another house on the same street - «У трёх чёрных орлов». It is now home to the «Neruda» hotel. Nearby is the house «У белого лебедя», which outwardly looks very much like a palace. The building was constructed in the Baroque style almost 300 years ago, the entrance is blocked by massive wrought-iron doors, and above them is an oval emblem with a swan in the middle.
And in the house «У красного льва» there once lived the artist Petr Brandl, who painted canvases for the Church of Saint Margaret and the Church of Saint James. After the reconstruction of the building at the end of the 20th century, a hotel of the same name was opened here.
Almost every house on Nerudova Street has its own history and its own special character, so strolling along it is a real pleasure.
