bránách

Bránách is the locative plural form of the Czech feminine noun brána, meaning gate or door. It designates a location associated with gates, such as being at, inside, or near them. In everyday use it appears with prepositions that express location, for example v bránách, na bránách, or při bránách.

Grammatically, brána is declined as a feminine noun, and bránách is the locative plural form. This form is used when describing position relative to gates in urban, architectural, or fortification contexts. Typical phrases include v bránách města (in the gates of the city) or na bránách hradu (on the gates of the castle). The expression can carry connotations of entry, defense, or boundary.

Etymology traces brána to Old Czech and Proto-Slavic origins and it is cognate with similar terms in other Slavic languages, such as Polish brama. The word broadly covers gates and doorways, from city walls to garden entrances, and it appears frequently in historical texts, literature, and place names.

Usage notes: bránách emphasizes location at or within gates rather than the gates themselves as objects (which would use nominative brány or instrumental/other forms in different constructions). In modern Czech, it remains a standard locative plural appropriate for descriptions of places, fortifications, and architectural features.

See also: Brána (entry) for the base noun and related terms such as brány and brán, and discussions of gate-related vocabulary in Czech.