About the Book
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, Prague: 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."
Table of Contents:
Acknowledgments
A Note on Language
Timeline of Prague History
Introduction: All this is Prague
Chapter 1: Prague's Foundations
Chapter 2: The Imperial Capital of Charles IV
Chapter 3: Faith and Violence in Wenceslas IV's Prague
Chapter 4: Hussite Wars and New Dynasties
Chapter 5: Rudolphine Prague
Chapter 6: Revolt and Defeat in Habsburg Prague
Chapter 7: Enlightened Prague
Chapter 8: Creating a Czech City
Chapter 9: Prague in a New Century
Chapter 10: The Great War and the Birth of Czechoslovakia
Chapter 11: Capital of the Republic
Chapter 12: Prague under Nazi Rule
Chapter 13: Prague Winter, Prague Spring
Chapter 14: Communism's Gray Zone
Chapter 15: Post-Communist Prague
Notes
Bibliography
index
About the Author :
Cynthia Paces is Professor of History at the College of New Jersey. She is the author of Prague Panoramas: National Memory and Sacred Space in the Twentieth Century and the co-editor of 1989: The End of the Twentieth Century.
Review :
In this gem of a book, Cynthia Paces has accomplished a remarkable feat: while recognizing Prague's reputation as a 'magic' 'mysterious' 'golden' city, she presents its long history as a place that also saw conflict, exploitation, and suffering, whose present-day appearance is shaped by all these historical experiences, and by the various peoples who have called it home. The scope of Paces's work is unique in the field. If visiting Prague should be on every traveler's bucket list, this book should be required pre-departure reading.
Cynthia Paces treats masterfully the panorama of Prague's history from the earliest traces to the post-communist era. Its lucid prose depicts vividly the interplay of political, social, and economic developments while offering as well a sensitive account of the city's rich cultural life and its linguistic and religious diversity over the centuries.
This deeply researched, beautifully illustrated, and thoughtfully written book should attract the attention of specialists and others interested in Prague, one of Europe's most fascinating cities. Readers of Cynthia Paces's elegant new socio-cultural history are guaranteed to fall in love with 'Golden Prague.'
A balanced, comprehensive history book that celebrates a city's lasting cultural contributions, Prague covers shifts in power, brutal historical moments, and architectural feats with acuity.
A balanced, comprehensive history book that celebrates a city's lasting cultural contributions, Prague covers shifts in power, brutal historical moments, and architectural feats with acuity.
A concise and highly readable comprehensive account of a complex city.
Cynthia Paces... relates Prague in swift, readable strokes through a narrative that inevitably becomes the story of the nation now known as the Czech Republic.
