Paces offers a panoramic view of Prague as the cradle of Czech national identity. These memory sites represent attempts by civic, religious, cultural, and political forces to create a cohesive sense of self for a country and a people torn by war and internal strife.

Cynthia Paces is associate professor of history at The College of New Jersey. Her articles have appeared in the journals Radical History Review and Nationalities Papers, and she has contributed chapters to several books, including: Memory and Impact of Political Transformation in Public Space; Staging the Past; and Constructing Identity in East Central Europe.