【Epoch Times News, November 18, 2025】The capital and largest city of the Czech Republic, Prague, is planning to adjust the names of certain streets and subway stations with backgrounds from the authoritarian era in order to “de-communize” public spaces, sparking widespread attention. Zdeněk Hřib, the deputy mayor in charge of the city’s transportation, stated that the naming of public spaces reflects the values and direction the city wishes to present.
According to the Czech News Agency (ČTK), Hřib proposed renaming the Olbrachtova subway station in the process of being built in Prague’s 4th district to Ryšánka station. The new name, Ryšánka, translates to “a nearby street” in Czech, which Hřib believes is more closely related to the geographical location and avoids perpetuating symbols from the communist era.
The original name of the D-line subway station, Olbrachtova, was derived from Ivan Olbracht, a Czechoslovak communist-era writer.
Public records show that Ivan Olbracht was a communist-supporting writer and a communist himself, with his notable work being “Anna from the Proletariat.” This 1928 novel tells the story of a girl growing up to become a revolutionary worker.
Hřib expressed that “the names of public transport stations should not carry colors of authoritarian or extremist regimes. This is about the stories we tell through the city. From both a geographical and moral standpoint, Ryšánka is more reasonable.”
The director of the Czech Institute for Totalitarian Regimes, Ladislav Kudrna, believes that “if we continue to name this new line after this communist propagandist, we will be sending the wrong message to the younger generation.” He suggests that instead of naming the station after the author of “Anna from The Proletariat,” it would be better to name it after individuals like British Air Force pilot Joseph Brůlík or Catholic priest Josef Tučal.
According to the regulations in Prague, the naming of public spaces must go through discussions in the city hall, review by the committee on toponymy, and then be voted on by the city council. With the change in regional security dynamics due to the Russia-Ukraine war, Prague has accelerated the review of communist-era place names in recent years to reflect its stance in the European political environment.
The renaming of public spaces in Prague has attracted attention before. In recent years, several place names related to communist-era figures or symbols have been adjusted.
The Koněvova Street, which was long named after Soviet military leader Ivan Koněv, was renamed to Hartigova Street in October to honor the first mayor of the Jarov district, Karl Hartig.
In 2022, streets and bridges near the Russian embassy were renamed Ukraine Heroes Street and Vitali Skaskun Bridge, showcasing Prague’s position in the Ukrainian war. On February 24, 2022, the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Skaskun’s unit was deployed to guard the Hranice Bridge over the Něbor River. Skaskun, a combat engineer, volunteered to install and manually detonate landmines under the bridge, sacrificing his life to slow down the advance of the Russian forces.
Hřib stated, “The naming dispute in Prague is not just about geographical locations but a matter of values, about who we choose to remember and the type of future we want to reflect on the streets.”
In Eastern European countries, the evaluation and removal of symbols of authoritarian regimes are ongoing policy trends.
In 2016, the Polish parliament amended the “Prohibition of Communist Propaganda Act,” requiring local authorities to remove names and symbols associated with communism from public spaces within a year, including marks related to individuals, organizations, and dates.
In 2015, the Ukrainian parliament passed the “Law on Condemnation of the Communist and National Socialist (Nazi) Totalitarian Regimes Symbols,” commonly known as the “De-Communization Law.” This law prohibits the public use or promotion of communist and Nazi symbols and can impose up to 10 years of imprisonment for repeated violations by organizations or media. The law also requires the removal of streets and settlements named after Soviet leaders like Lenin and Stalin.
With the implementation of the law, over 150 towns and settlements in Ukraine were renamed. The city formerly named after Stalin’s Georgian compatriot and Communist Party leader, Orzhonikidze, is now reverting to its original name, Pokrov. The city named after the secret police of the Communist Party, Chekist, was restored last year to its original name, Toretsk.
Since then, Ukraine has seen a wave of toppling Lenin statues nationwide, with hundreds being destroyed by authorities and the public. Many villages, settlements, streets, districts, cities, and even regions named after communist figures have also been renamed.
Renowned scholar Zhong Weiguang in Germany told Epoch Times that communist rule is not just a form of dictatorship but a cult that controls the souls of people. The Communist Party is an outright cult group that permeates every corner of society, emphasizing ideology, materialism, and control over people’s thoughts. Therefore, “many countries in Eastern Europe are still actively pushing forward with the de-communization process.”