Prague: The Heart of Europe

by Cynthia Paces

A sweeping and comprehensive history of Prague--from its origins in the ninth century to the present day--that traces its past as a political center and a city on the periphery of empires.

Poets have called Prague the City of One Hundred Spires, Golden Prague, Magic Prague, and the Mother of Cities. Millions of tourists visit the Czech capital each year, awed by the blend of architectural styles and the dramatic landscape. St. Vitus's Gothic cathedral towers above the Charles Bridge and the Vltava River. Winding Gothic alleys lead to elegant squares lined with Renaissance palaces, Baroque statues, and modern glass structures. Yet, the city's beauty often obscures centuries of ethnic and religious conflict. In Prague's Jewish Quarter, the names of nearly 80,000 Holocaust victims are inscribed on the walls of Pinkas Synagogue, which stands as a reminder of a complex and violent past.

Cynthia Paces traces the history of Prague since the late ninth century, when Slavic dukes built the first church and fortifications on the castle hill. Over the course of eleven centuries, Prague vacillated between a political center and a city on the periphery of empires. The Holy Roman Emperors Charles IV and Rudolph II transformed Prague into a European center of arts, politics, and pilgrimage, but centuries of religious conflict, the defenestrations of Prague, and the Thirty Years War threatened to destroy the city. In the twentieth century, Prague was hailed as a beacon of democracy, led by philosopher presidents T. G. Masaryk and Václav Havel, but its citizens also endured violent antisemitism, a Nazi occupation, and a repressive communist regime.

While illuminating a millennium of political, cultural, and social developments, The Heart of Europe captures the lives of the men and women who have called the city home. Prague has housed Europe's largest Jewish community, a diverse population of German and Czech speakers, and artisans from all over Europe. This sweeping book highlights the manifold contributions of Prague's artists, architects, musicians, and writers. In doing so, it reveals why the city captivated so many creative men and women, including Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Antonín Dvorák, Oskar Kokoschka, the poet Elizabeth Weston, and the alchemist John Dee. As Prague native Franz Kafka once wrote, "Prague does not let go; this little mother has claws."

Genres: History, Nonfiction, European History, Travel

395 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 14, 2025

Reviews

[Dorothy]

Cynthia Paces conveys the events of 11 centuries of Prague’s history in a clear and easy to understand writing style. Her knowledge of the subject matter will not only appeal to those interested in European history but also to those who are somewhat familiar with the Czech Republic’s capital—perhaps have traveled there or would like to visit one day. This work is a testament to the author’s grasp and love of history.

[Milo]

Whether you are a tourist going to Prague or interested in history, this book is a must read. Clearly written and excellently researched it gives you an insight into a city that has endured a history of greatness as well as tragedy. Cynthia Paces gives a masterful look into the city of a hundred spires. Her thorough depiction of Prague’s history and its culture may tempt you to see this magnificent city for yourself.

[Robert Morris]

I love a book that does more than it says it will. Prior to a trip to Prague, I was looking for an introduction to the city, and some general history. Cynthia Paces certainly provided that. What she also provided was a brief, readable, but surprisingly comprehensive story of the Czech people over the past 1,000 years. It filled in a ton of gaps in my historic understanding, and laid out why the Czechs, rare among Slavic peoples, have one of the deepest national histories in Europe, possibly the third deepest, after the French and the British.

The Czech, or Bohemian, identity cohered around Prague, long before Germany or Italy made it back together. Religion, location, and a series of brief cultural golden ages to look back on kept the Czechs together in the face of centuries of subjugation to Austrian Hapsburgs and then Soviets. Prior to reading this book, I was vaguely aware of some of the broad strokes, Launching the 30 years war in 1618, being one of Hitler's first victims in 1938, the Prague Spring in 1968, and Vaclav Havel and the velvet revolution playing a part in ending Communism in Europe. This book explains why such a small place is frequently so pivotal in European history. With their history, their city, and their national idea, generations of Czechs made their story Europe's story.

The Czechs are, I believe, the Western-most population of Slavs in Europe. As long as it has been recorded, their history has been deeply intwined with German national development. German colonization was a dynamic, but Czech resistance to it, and a heightened Bohemian cultural and economic development were important as well. Charles IV, one of the last great non-Habsburg Holy Roman emperors was half Czech and half German, placing this Slavic people at the heart of the Holy Roman Empire in the 1300s. For the duration of the HRE, the Bohemian king was the only non-German among the 7 electors that chose the emperor.

It's probably reformed religion that did the most to formulate Czech nationalism. In French and English nationalism, religion is important, think of the fanaticism of Jeanne D'arc or the greed for monasteries of Henry VIII. In Czech history it was more central. I'd been aware of Jan Huss before, seeing him as a doomed reformation precursor to Martin Luther. What I did not realize, is that after he was burned at the stake, his followers managed to fight off all attempts to take away their new interpretation of Christianity for almost 200 years.

The religious wars I associate with the 1500s and 1600s came a century early to Bohemia. The Czech insistence on their own religion and their own language super-charged their national development. These ideas of Czech-ness persisted even though they eventually lost their Protestant religion in the 30 years war (1618-1648). The Czech lands were forced to become Catholic. This prompted an odd conflict in the 19th century, when Jan Huss, a pioneering protestant, was resurrected as a the national hero of a very Catholic country.

The religious conflict has been resolved by widespread agnosticism and plummeting church attendance, but it leaves some strange artifacts. In the central square of Old Town Prague, there are two monuments facing each other. There is a very Catholic column in honor of the Virgin Mary. It was torn down by Czech nationalists about a century ago, at the end of 300 years of Habsburg domination. Catholics demanded its restoration, which was finally carried out in 2020. The Column now stands within the eyesight of a dramatic monumental statue of Protestant national hero Jan Huss. A Catholic church towers over the square. But in 2017, a chalice, the symbol of Huss's movement, was restored to the facade after 400+ years.

I would never have appreciated this marvelous contrast without this delightful book. I'm sure that a completist might complain that the book gives short shrift to Czechia's other cities and regions, and the entirety of Slovakia, which spent much of a century with its capital in Prague. But the book says Prague on the cover! I can't claim to have a complete view of Czech history after reading this book, but my understanding is greatly expanded. I feel like I understand Europe much better as well.

I don't mention it as much in this review, but the book gets more expansive as it gets closer to modern times, with detailed coverage of the architectural and cultural ramifications of industrialization, the world wars, independence, Communist repression, and EU accession. The book is a worthy companion to any trip to Prague, and a great education on the surprisingly significant Czech nation as well. Highly recommended.

[Liam]

"The community also commissioned a new rococo facade for the Jewish Town Hall and hired the royal clockmaker Sebastian Landesberger to design the tower. When the clock was unveiled in 1763, the community discovered that Landesberger had created two clocks, one with Roman numerals and the other with Hebrew numbers. The hands on the Hebrew clock moved counterclockwise because the clockmaker wanted to mimic the way Hebrew texts are read. Of course, Jews did not tell time this way, and the clock became a daily reminder of Christians' misunderstanding of Jewish culture." (152)

"'Every Czech citizen is a born nationalist, who subordinates to his interests all his other duties. ... The Czech is the most dangerous of all Slaves, because he is diligent. He has discipline, order. ... The Czech state had a long German educational example of purity.'" (quoting Hitler, 242)

"The Assembly's location between the National Museum and the State Opera led Prague residents to joke that the Federal Assembly was 'something between a theater and a museum.'" (285)

[Andrew Miller]

I def want to read more books on cities. They’re spatial stories of human society and are the epicenter of its evolution.

I love how this book emphasizes nuance. It celebrates the triumphs of so many Czechs but also doesn’t shy away from their flaws. I enjoyed regaling in the battle between rich and poor, liberalism and authoritarianism, catholic and Protestant, Czech and German, tradition and novelty, pride and humility, and vice and virtue that makes Prague the beautiful city it is today.

I appreciate its honest approach to leaders such as Tomas Masaryk, Václav Havel, King Charles, and King Wenceslas, and I enjoyed learning so much about the various artists such as Franz Kafka, David Černý, Mucha, and Smetana. Im a bit disappointed I never learned about who made the creepy crawling babies on the Žižkov tower but after some research it was David Černý.

Can’t wait to go back to zlatá Praha.

[Diane P]

Capturing over a thousand years of history is no small feat, yet Paces manages to create a book that is not only comprehensive but also an incredibly enjoyable read. Paces weaves academic precision with a gift for storytelling, deftly guiding the reader through complex social, political, and cultural happenings. For scholars, travelers, or any person who wants to delve more deeply into one of Europe’s most celebrated cities, this book is a must read.

[Matt]

Great book.
PS- The "Milo" and "Dorothy" reviews are both fake and written by the same person.
I happen to agree with them, but they are fake nonetheless.