In the months leading up to the war, Winton, who was working for a British refugee charity, organized the evacuation of 669 Jewish children from Czechoslovakia to Great Britain. His efforts included compiling lists of young refugees, bribing officials across Europe, and securing host families in England.

Between March and September 1939, eight trains carrying Jewish children departed from Prague. The final train was stopped at the border, and all its passengers were sent to concentration camps.

Winton’s deeds remained largely unknown until 1988 when he was unexpectedly reunited with the children he had saved—now adults—on a BBC television program. Watch the moving reunion here:

The newly named Nicholas Winton Street is in Prague’s District 7, a site of symbolic significance. The street passes by two important Holocaust memorials and the Praha-Bubny railway station, from which thousands of Czech Jews were transported to the Treblinka concentration camp.

Professor Dariusz Stola, an expert on Jewish history in Poland, told TVP World: “Naming a street after Nicholas Winton carries symbolic value, recognizing the heroism of those who save children—a recognition that has only become widely acknowledged in recent history.

“We hope that Winton will serve as a role model for future generations,” he added. “His actions during World War II convey a universal message: while Jewish children may no longer be at risk in Europe, countless other conflicts around the world continue to put children in harm's way.”