# Ring square



## caduceu

Hello everyone, 

I'm writing because in a short story by Guillaume Apollinaire set in Prague, the author refers to the Old Town square as the "Ring". I have searched the web to try to find more references about it but I haven't found anything. I was wondering if anybody could help me and tell me whether this is a traditional way in Czech to refer to this square. 

The context is as follows:

"Voici le Ring ou Place de Grève. Cette église contient la tombe de l'astronome Tycho-Brahé..."

Thanks in advance,


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## ilocas2

Old Town square is "Altstädter Ring" in German. It's not a common way to refer to this square in Czech. In Czech the Old Town square is "Staroměstské náměstí" and in the Prague slang "Staromák".


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## caduceu

Thank you very much for the tip! Actually, Apollinaire wrote his work at the beginning of the 20th century and he was a foreigner in Prague so it is not unlikely that he used the German tradition to refer to this square.


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## bibax

_Square, piazza, plaza, Platz, Ringplatz_, etc. is *náměstí* or *rynk* (ryňk) in Czech. *Rynk* is rather an obsolete word (young people do not know it ), from German _der Ring_ which means _circle, ring_.

So the Old City Square was called also *Staroměstský rynk*.


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## caduceu

Thanks a lot!


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## werrr

ilocas2 said:


> Old Town square is "Altstädter Ring" in German. It's not a common way to refer to this square in Czech. In Czech the Old Town square is "Staroměstské náměstí" and in the Prague slang "Staromák".


*Altstädter Ring* is modern calque from Czech, the traditional German name was *Grosser Ring*.



caduceu said:


> Thank you very much for the tip! Actually, Apollinaire wrote his work at the beginning of the 20th century and he was a foreigner in Prague so it is not unlikely that he used the German tradition to refer to this square.


Right, the text is full of factual and terminological mistakes. 
I think you could have use one thread for all the local names used by Apollinaire.

So, name by name:

*la gare François-Joseph* - today's Prague main railway station, before 1918 named both in Czech and German after Franz Joseph I of Austria

*une rue dont le nom est orthographié de telle sorte qu'on le prononce Porjitz* - Poříčí was a settlement perished by the time of Apollinaire, but up to date reflected in local street names. Apollinaire most likely refers to the street Na Poříčí.

*Voici le Ring ou Place de Grève.* This could actually refer to any town square and only the following context of Týn Church and the astromical clock reveals it is the Old Town Square. (On the other hand the reference to the  Seven Years' War contradicts it.)

*Cette église contient la tombe de l'astronome Tycho-Brahé;* - Church of Our Lady before Týn

*l'horloge de l'Hôtel de Ville* - Old Town Hall with the astromical clock

*la désolante prison appelée Schbinska* - Špinka, the Old Town Hall prison

*l'antique synagogue* - Old New Synanogue

*l'Hôtel de Ville juif* - Jewish Town Hall

*Moldau* - German for the river of Vltava

*Carlsbrücke* - corruption of German Karlsbrücke

*Hradschin* - German for Hradčany, i.e. the Castle District

*le château royal du Hradschin* - misnamed Prague Castle (confusion of the Castle District with the Castle itself is common for foreigners) 

*la chapelle où l'on couronnait les rois de Bohême, et où le saint roi Wenceslas subit le martyre* - factualy mistaken reference to the St. Wenceslas Chapel 

*la grande place rectangulaire nommée Wenzelplatz, Viehmarkt, Rossmarkt ou Václavské náměstí* - Wenceslas Square (Czech: Václavské náměstí, German: Wenzelplatz) formerly Horse Market (Czech: Koňský trh, German: Rossmarkt) or less likely Charles Square (Karlovo náměstí) formerly Livestock Market (Czech: Dobytčí trh, German: Viehmarkt)

*Vignobles Royaux* - Královské Vinohrady

​


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## caduceu

Wow, thank you very much indeed for your precious help!


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