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Summary for: Can renaming a metro erase history? Vltavská station debate heats upA debate over the possible renaming of a key metro station in Prague is highlighting a broader conflict between urban clarity and historical memory.
Vltavská station on metro line C (red), based in Prague 7, is at the center of the controversy. It could be renamed “Vltavská filharmonie” to reflect the planned construction of the Vltava Philharmonic Hall, which will be in the same area. ROPID, Prague’s public transport coordination agency, wants to name the station Nádraží Bubny.
PARTNER ARTICLE
The Prague City Council will make its final verdict after the summer break. The Vltava Philharmonic Hall is due to open around 2032.
Easier to get around—or more confusing?
ROPID supports renaming the station to align with its policy of unifying transport names. “The intention is to make travel within the Prague Integrated Transport system as clear as possible,” spokesperson Filip Drápal told Czech news outlet Novinky.cz. However, he cautioned that naming the metro after the Philharmonic could set off a chain reaction.
“If Vltavská becomes Vltavská filharmonie, it may lead to calls for the nearby Prague-Bubny railway station to be renamed Prague–Vltavská filharmonie,” Drápal said, hinting that this would cause public confusion. “This would erase a historically significant name linked to World War II,” he added.
Prague 7 Mayor Jan Čižinský backs retaining the name Vltavská to reflect the location’s cultural future. “We would be throwing the baby out with the bathwater,” Čižinský said.
On the other hand, some locals support renaming the station to Nádraží Bubny, arguing that the planned new railway station makes this name change logical.
This week, the Prague 7 Municipal District Council passed a resolution in favor of keeping the Vltavská name and submitted its position to city authorities.
What do you think the current Vltavská station should be renamed to?
Other metro stations caught in naming crossfire
The Prague 7 station is not the only metro stop in Prague that might be renamed: authorities are currently wrestling with a proposal to rename the Českomoravská station on the yellow B line to Aréna Libeň. This is in reference to Prague 9’s O2 Arena, which lies next to the station.
In addition, Prague 4 City Hall is against the planned naming of the new Olbrachtova metro station on Prague’s line D (still under construction), with officials favoring a topographic name over one honoring writer and communist figure Ivan Olbracht.
