The school was given its present name in 1934 to mark the 100th anniversary of the famous Czech poet, novelist, essayist and journalist, Jan Neruda, whose life and work were closely connected with Malá Strana. Jan Neruda found his greatest inspiration in the streets of the 19th century Prague, whose spirit he evoked in his literature. The realistic stories reflect his enthusiasm for vivid sketches of the life of the Lesser Town inhabitants. The experience of a keen observer of people and everyday things culminated in his bitter-sweet "Prague Tales". Lessons in the first Czech secondary school in Malá Strana began in the private house of a Czech nobleman in 1865. At that time it was the third Czech secondary school within Prague. This school changed its location several times before it got its current home, a new New-Renaissance building, in 1876.