Plaque to Karel Václav Rais

The plaque to Karel Václav Rais sits on the corner of Šumavská and Slezská streets in Prague's Vinohrady district (Prague 2), mounted on the facade of a former girls' municipal school. It is a small, unassuming sign — black background, white lettering — easy to walk past unless you already know it is there, yet it marks a specific, documented chapter in the life of one of the most widely read Czech writers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Who was Karel Václav Rais?

Karel Václav Rais was born on 4 January 1859 in Lázně Bělohrad and died on 8 July 1926 in Prague. Before dedicating himself fully to writing, he worked for years as a schoolteacher — first in Trhová Kamenice, and from 1887 onward in Prague. As an author, he became known chiefly for realistic prose set in the Czech countryside, portraying the lives of ordinary rural people without sentimentality.

Why is the plaque on this particular building?

The building at Šumavská 920/37 once housed a girls' municipal school, where Rais taught between 1887 and 1899. His move there from Trhová Kamenice effectively opened the Prague chapter of his professional life. The school later honored that connection so strongly that it took his name, operating as "Škola K. V. Raise." The plaque on the corner of the building refers directly to those twelve years of teaching — not to where he later lived or died, which is tied to a different address in Vinohrads.

What does the inscription say?

The black plaque, lettered in white, reads in the original Czech: "Já vždycky s lidem. Památce spisovatele Karla Václava Raise" — which translates roughly as "I was always with the people. In memory of the writer Karel Václav Rais." The short phrase echoes the character of Rais's writing, centered on the lives of ordinary rural people, and the plaque's plain, unadorned design matches the modest, pedagogical background of the site it marks.

How do you find the plaque?

It is fixed to the exterior wall on the corner of Šumavská and Slezská streets, in a quiet residential part of Vinohrady, a short walk from central Prague 2. This is not a standalone tourist attraction but rather a stop for anyone interested in Czech literature or the history of Prague's schools — it pairs well with a walk past other memorial plaques scattered across the district.

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly is the plaque located? On the building at Šumavská 920/37 in Prague 2, on the corner with Slezská street, in the Vinohrady district.

Why was the plaque placed at this particular spot? Because the building once housed a girls' municipal school where Karel Václav Rais taught from 1887 to 1899.

What does the inscription on the plaque mean? The Czech text "Já vždycky s lidem. Památce spisovatele Karla Václava Raise" translates as "I was always with the people. In memory of the writer Karel Václav Rais."

What was Karel Václav Rais known for as a writer? He wrote realistic prose about Czech rural life and ordinary people; before turning fully to literature, he spent years working as a schoolteacher.

Is this the only plaque to Rais in Prague? No — this one marks his years as a teacher; other Vinohrady locations are tied to his later life and his death in 1926.