When TCNJ history professor Cynthia Paces set out to write the first comprehensive history of Prague written in English, she knew it would be an ambitious undertaking. The result, Prague: The Heart of Europe, released this fall, spans 11 centuries of the city’s evolution into the beautiful and diverse city it is today.
Here, Paces talks about what makes her book more than just another history lesson.
It starts in the Ice Age.
Rather than opening with medieval kings or famous landmarks, Paces starts her book with geology, beginning with the formation of the riverbank in the Ice Age to the present day.
“It’s a lot to take on,” she shared.
But by tracing how the Vltava River formed the landscape that would become Prague, Paces is able to ground the city’s history in a time before humans even arrived there. In doing so, she begins to uncover the stories of those who built the city from the ground up.
She had to step out of her historical comfort zone.
Paces, whose expertise lies primarily in 19th and 20th century European history, had to learn how to tackle medieval history.
“I knew the broad strokes,” she said, “but I had to learn a lot about how to write about earlier time periods that I had never really written about before.”
The biggest challenge, she explained, was confronting the fact that medieval history is full of uncertainties.
The city’s history is about people, not just power.
Paces wanted the book to show more than shifts in power and politics; she wanted to focus on the everyday lives that give Prague such character.
“One of my favorite discoveries was an English female poet living in Prague in the 16th century,” she said. “I didn’t want it to just be ‘this ruler did this.’ I wanted it to be about the people who lived there.”
This story, and many others like it, opened up an opportunity for Paces to explore the history of Prague through the lives and contributions of everyday citizens whose stories haven’t previously made the history books.
The history is personal.
Although this work is focused on Prague’s history, it holds personal significance for Paces whose father was born in the city during World War II.
“I had to separate my own emotional tie to the city as a place my father and grandparents are from,” she said.
She explained that writing the book meant weaving together the city’s complex history with as much balance and nuance as possible.
It’s written for everyone.
One of Paces’ main goals was to write a truly comprehensive history of Prague, one that emphasizes the contributions of writers, artists, political figures, women, and so many more.
“What I really tried to do is make it accessible to a broad audience. And I feel like there’s something for everyone,” she said.
Prague: The Heart of Europe is published by Oxford University Press.
— Leah Cruz ’26