Prague is the capital city known as the “City of a Hundred Spires.” The nickname reflects the many church towers, monastery towers, historic gateways, and other vertical landmarks rising above the city’s skyline.
The phrase is associated with a 19th-century count by mathematician Bernard Bolzano, although the number was never meant as a precise modern inventory. Prague’s Prague Information Service has estimated that the city may have around 500 spires, depending on which towers and pinnacles are included.
Prague’s distinctive skyline developed over centuries. Romanesque and Gothic churches, Baroque buildings, and later civic structures stand throughout the historic centre, especially around the Old Town, Malá Strana, and Prague Castle. St. Vitus Cathedral and the Church of Our Lady before Týn are among its best-known landmarks.
A common mix-up is assuming the nickname refers to exactly 100 towers, or confusing Prague with other historic European cities famous for church architecture. Prague is also called the Golden City, the Mother of Cities, and the Heart of Europe.