Švejk's journey is mapped on an Austria-Hungary map from 1914, showing the military districts of the
k.u.k. Heer. The entire plot of The Good Soldier Švejk is set within the territory of the former Dual Monarchy.
The Fateful Adventures of the Good Soldier Švejk (commonly known as The Good Soldier Švejk) by Jaroslav Hašek is rich in geographical
references, whether through the plot itself, in dialogues, or in the author's narrative voice. Hašek was unusually
well-travelled and had a photographic memory for geographical (and other) details. Geography mattered to him: eight
of the 27 chapter headings in the novel contain geographical names.
This website will, in due course, provide a complete overview of the novel's geographical references, from Prague in
the introduction to Klimontów in the unfinished Part Four. It includes continents, states (including defunct ones),
cities, market squares, city gates, regions, districts, towns, villages, mountains, mountain passes, oceans, lakes,
rivers, caves, channels, islands, streets, parks, and bridges.
The list is sorted according to the order in which the names appear in the novel. The chapter headings are taken from
Zenny Sadlon's recent translation (1999–2026); in most cases, these differ from Cecil Parrott's translation from 1973.
The Czech quotations are taken from the online version of The Good Soldier Švejk provided by Jaroslav Šerák and link to the relevant chapter. The
toolbar provides direct links to Wikipedia, Google Maps, Google Search, svejkmuseum.cz, and the novel online.
The names are colour-coded according to their role in the novel, as illustrated by the following examples:
Zillergut
appears in connection with the author's description of Oberst Kraus. His ancestors had appropriated the noble title Zillergut, after some village in Herzogtum Salzburg that they had fleeced in the 18th century.
Background
Zillergut
is an unknown geographical entity, most probably an invention by the author. There is no village called Zillergut in Salzburg or anywhere else, and a search in historical newspapers shows no results apart from the common name "Zillergut" (unknown etymology). The author may have had Zillertal in mind, but this is a valley in Tyrol, not a village in Herzogtum Salzburg.
Quote(s) from the novel
[I.15] Plukovník Bedřich Kraus, mající též přídomek von Zillergut, po nějaké vesničce v Solnohradech, kterou jeho předkové prožrali již ve století osmnáctém, byl úctyhodným pitomcem.
Herzogtum Salzburg
appears in connection with the author's description of Oberst Kraus. His ancestors assumed the noble title Zillergut, named after some village in the area that they had already plundered in the 18th century. The reference is therefore to the Duchy of Salzburg, rather than the city itself.
Background
Herzogtum SalzburgDuchy of Salzburg
was one of 15 crown lands of Cisleithania. It was incorporated into Austria in 1816 as a result of the Napoleonic Wars, and was therefore part of Austria-Hungary from 1867. From 1 January 1850 onwards, the duchy held the status of a crown land, with its own government headed by the Landeshauptmann.
The duchy covered the same area as the present-day Land Salzburg, one of the nine states in modern Austria. It bordered Bavaria, Tyrol, Carinthia, Styria and Österreich ob der Enns (now Oberösterreich). At the start of the 20th century, the population was just under 200,000, spread across six districts (Salzburg Stadt, Salzburg Umgebung, Hallein, Zell am See, St. Johann and Tamsweg).
Czech terminology
The author uses the plural term Solnohrady (The Salt Castles), rather than the singular Solnohrad, which refers to the city of Salzburg. During the author's lifetime, Solnohrady and Salcpursko were used interchangeably; both refer to the Duchy of Salzburg. In Czech, the city was formerly also known as Salcpurk, but in modern usage (2011) Salcburg is more common.
Military
Militarily, the city of Salzburg and the crown land fell under KorpskommandoNr. 14, headquartered in Innsbruck. The city was also the seat of recruitment district No. 59 and its "house regiment" Infanterieregiment Nr. 59. In 1914, only one battalion of the house regiment was garrisoned here. Salzburg was also the seat of Feldkanonenregiment Nr. 41, a military court, and Platzkommando.
Czech soldiers
It may also be noted that staff and three battalions of Infanterieregiment Nr. 75 were garrisoned in Salzburg from 1912 to 1914, so at the outbreak of war the city hosted a sizeable contingent of Czech soldiers.
Quote(s) from the novel
[I.15] Plukovník Bedřich Kraus, mající též přídomek von Zillergut, po nějaké vesničce v Solnohradech, kterou jeho předkové prožrali již ve století osmnáctém, byl úctyhodným pitomcem.
Na Příkopě
is mentioned as Oberleutnant Lukáš was on his way to the corner of this street and Panská ulice to meet a lady when the fatal encounter with Oberst Kraus occurred.
Background
Na Příkopě
is a well-known street in Prague, often simply called Příkopy, and is one of the more upmarket shopping streets. During Austria, this area was dominated by Germans and was among the most exclusive streets in the city.
In German, the street was known as Am Graben, a parallel to the similarly exclusive and similarly named street in Vienna. The name is literally translated as On the Moat.
Drunk and disorderly
The "German" Příkopy would not have been the street Hašek most frequently visited, but one incident is recorded. At three o'clock in the morning on 1 January 1905, Hašek caused a disturbance on this street. Completely drunk, he waved his arms about and insulted German students. One of the witnesses to the incident was the "German philosopher" Paul Kisch, brother of the eventually famous Egon Erwin Kisch. The perpetrator admitted to being very drunk and said he could not remember much of it. A record of the incident is stored in the police archives, translated into Czech by Břetislav Hůla.
Quote(s) from the novel
[I.15] Vyšli na ulici a nadporučík Lukáš zaměřil se psem na Příkopy. Měl se setkat s jednou dámou na rohu Panské ulice. Byl zabrán v úřední myšlénky. O čem má zítra přednášet jednoročním dobrovolníkům ve škole?
Panská ulice
is mentioned as Oberleutnant Lukáš was on his way to the corner of Na Příkopě and this street to meet a lady when the fatal encounter with Oberst Kraus occurred.
Background
Panská ulice
is a relatively short side street to Na Příkopě, extending south towards the main railway station. It reaches towards Jindřišská. Panská ul. (Herrengasse) was home to, among others, Prager Tagblatt and the Piarists (see U Piaristů).
The Good Soldier Švejk in Captivity
In Dobrý voják Švejk v zajetí the street is also mentioned but the context is that the editorial offices of Prager Tagblatt were located here.[1]
Velmi zamyšleně se tvářil pán v prostředních letech, velmi slušně oděný, který se včera dostal do chumlu před Prager Tagblattem v Panské ulici.
Quote(s) from the novel
[I.15] Vyšli na ulici a nadporučík Lukáš zaměřil se psem na Příkopy. Měl se setkat s jednou dámou na rohu Panské ulice. Byl zabrán v úřední myšlénky. O čem má zítra přednášet jednoročním dobrovolníkům ve škole?
[I.15] Z těchto myšlének byl vyrušen přísným „halt“, právě když se přiblížil k Panské ulici.
Náchod
is mentioned as Švejk had heard from a soldier in the barracks that artillery fire from the front could be heard all the way here and that the Russian tsar would soon be in Kraków.
Background
Náchod
is a town in eastern Bohemia, only a few kilometres from the border with Poland. The distance to the front in the autumn of 1914 was about 300 km (Raba), so the claim about the sound of artillery was dubious and probably a popular saying.
Hašek in Náchod
Jaroslav Hašek visited the Náchod district in August 1914, a stay that finds its way into the novel via Josefov and Jasenná.
In 1936, Eduard Bass wrote about an episode that could also be linked to this stay and, not least, to this fragment of the novel. At the start of the war, the author visited the wine bar U Petříku where he caused a stir by speaking loudly in Russian, and when asked to quieten down he replied: "Why should I? Yesterday I was by Náchod and already now they talk like that over there"[a].
Demography
According to the 1910 census, Náchod had 11,804 inhabitants, of whom 11,632 (98 per cent) reported using Czech as their everyday language. The judicial district was okresNáchod, administratively it reported to hejtmanstvíNáchod. The district had 59,330 inhabitants of which a mere 320 reported German as their everyday language.
Per the recruitment districts, infantrymen from Náchod were usually assigned to Infanterieregiment Nr. 18 (Königgrätz) or k.k. Landwehrinfanterieregiment Nr. 11 (Jičin).
Quote(s) from the novel
[I.15] Když oba potom ještě dále tlumočili názor českého člověka na válku, voják z kasáren opakoval, co dnes slyšel v Praze, že u Náchoda je slyšet děla a ruský car že bude co nejdřív v Krakově.
From 1856, as it might have appeared as Crenneville marched through
Knappův průvodce po Praze a okolí, 1900
Prašná brána
is mentioned in a song Švejk sings after the calamitous return of Oberleutnant Lukáš, after he had been caught by Oberst Kraus with the stolen Fox. It is not stated in the plot, but the famous meeting between Lukáš and the colonel took place only a few steps from the gate.
In [III.4], the tower is mentioned again in the long story about the unfortunate Oberst Fliedler and his visit to the dentist.
Background
Prašná bránaPowder Tower
is a Gothic tower and former city gate in Staré město, erected at the end of the 15th century. Between 1878 and 1886, the tower was rebuilt in pseudo-Gothic style, which makes its current appearance different from that in the picture. The architect leading the reconstruction was the renowned Josef Mocker (1835-1899). The tower is located by Náměstí Republiky and is 65 metres tall.
The mentioned song has several variations, some without reference to Prašná brána. See Graf Crenneville for more information.
Mašíruje Grenevil
Prašnou bránou na špacír,
šavle se mu blejskají,
hezký holky plakají
[III.4] Ale ten obrst Fliedler, to vám byl taková potvora mizerná, dej mu pámbu nebe, že chodil druhej den po Praze a hledal někoho, kdo se vodvážil z našeho regimentu vylézt z kasáren, a někde u Prašný brány potkal taky šťastně Železnýho a hned na něho spustil: ,Já ti tám, já ti náučím, já ti dfakrát oslatím!’
Ohře
is a river in north-western Bohemia. The source is in the Fichtelbebirge in Bavaria. The river does actually flow into the Vltava, but by Litoměřice and not by Budějovice as the colonel thinks. Its total length is 316 km and the catchment area is 5,588 sq. km.
Quote(s) from the novel
[I.15] Víte, kde jsou Budějovice? Na Vltavě, ano, na Vltavě a vtéká tam Ohře nebo něco podobného.
Stehlíkův historický a orientační průvodce ulicemi hlavního města Prahy,1929
Nekázanka
is mentioned because Oberleutnant Lukáš was to hold his farewell party somewhere in this street. This was the last time in The Good Soldier Švejk that the plot was set in Prague.
The street is mentioned later in connection with Nechleba and the pub V čubčím háji.
Background
Nekázanka
is a short street in Prague II, connecting Na Příkopě and Jindřišská. It has existed since the 14th century, under various names. The most important building was the Country Bank, and the street had several restaurants.
Why Oberleutnant Lukáš would hold a farewell party in this particular street is not easy to explain. Perhaps he lived in the area? The fact that he walked the stolen dog Max at Na Příkopě points in this direction. Perhaps there was an officers' club in the street? He may also have celebrated in one of the restaurants or other establishments here.
Quote(s) from the novel
[I.15] Tím byl příjemný hovor ukončen a nadporučíkovi se velice ulehčilo, když vyšel z kanceláře a šel do školy jednoročních dobrovolníků, kde oznámil, že v nejbližších dnech jede na frontu, a uspořádá proto večírek na rozloučenou v Nekázance.
[II.1] Já mám takovou smůlu jako nějakej Nechleba z Nekázanky, který tam chodil do hospody ,V čubčím háji’.
