Skyline of Prague, Czech Republic

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Inspiring spires. Prague, Czech Republic

As this snowstorm blows across Prague, try to count the steeples, belfries, turrets and towers that dot the Czech capital's skyline. It’s not that easy. The 19th-century travel writers who dubbed Prague the city of 100 spires were way off the mark. The number is closer to 1,000.

A few points of interest: The Church of Our Lady before Týn, that imposing Gothic building in the foreground, boasts 18 spires on its two towers. Looming behind it on the right is Prague Castle, on which building began in the year 870 - it the world's largest ancient castle. And the Old Town Hall on the left, with its brightly lit clock tower, houses an even more impressive timepiece at its base in the city square: The Prague Orloj, the oldest working astronomical clock, which has tracked celestial movements since 1410.