London beats Paris and Rome to be crowned most written about European city

From London‘s distinct character to the vivacious streets of Rome, bustling cities make the perfect backdrop for novels. And for many, books can act as literary passports, whisking readers across the globe from the comfort of their own living space.

But which cities in Europe are the most written about in literature?

The printing experts at Aura Print combed through the vast expanse of the Google Books corpus (a repository boasting 25 million books) to identify the cumulative mentions of 31 prominent European cities across books spanning from 1920 to 2019.

20 most popular European cities in books revealed:

Rank

European City

Most popular decade

Total occurrences in books (1920-2019)

1

London

1960s

286,675,501

2

Paris

1920s

95,290,475

3

Rome

1920s

48,840,949

4

Berlin

1940s

37,079,709

5

Moscow

1980s

31,405,361

6

Florence

1920s

19,414,470

7

Vienna

1980s

18,995,437

8

Athens

1960s

15,118,606

9

Dublin

1920s

15,021,998

10

Amsterdam

1990s

12,868,807

11

Brussels

1990s

10,949,717

12

Venice

1920s

10,237,695

13

Madrid

1990s

9,883,636

14

Stockholm

1980s

8,813,100

15

Warsaw

1980s

8,054,316

16

Munich

1990s

8,025,343

17

Milan

1960s

7,917,978

18

Copenhagen

1950s

7,317,785

19

Prague

1960s

6,702,244

20

Porto

1920s

6,604,087

Beating all its European counterparts by a landslide, London snags top spot on the list to be crowned Europe’s most popular city in literature. Being featured an astonishing 286,675,501 times, this is nearly three times more than all other cities analysed. Dubbed by Charles Dickens as the ‘magic lantern’ that fired his creativity, the British capital has played host to a multitude of novels over the last century. 

London book recommendations: A Tale of Two Cities, Sherlock Holmes, The House by the Thames

Trailing behind is Britain’s age-old cross-Channel rival, the beguiling French capital, Paris. Clocking in a mindblowing 95,290,475 literary mentions, the romantic and intriguing City of Lights has charmed and inspired a plethora of romance and fiction authors.

Paris book recommendations: Paris Is Always A Good Idea, The Little Paris Bookshop, The Paris Wife

The Eternal City, Rome claims third spot (48,840,949 mentions), triumphing over its fellow Italian cities with an impressive 74% greater share of literary attention than Florence (6th), Venice (12th) and Milan (17th), on average. From its glorious imperial past to the vibrant present, the Italian capital makes a captivating backdrop for books of all genres.

Rome book recommendations: Eat, Pray, Love, Conclave, Four Seasons in Rome

Whipping up fourth place with a significant 37,079,709 mentions in books is Berlin. Steeped in history with a turbulent past, the partially destroyed German capital offers a striking cityscape, serving as a wellspring of inspiration for historical fiction and thriller writers.

Berlin book recommendations: Goodbye to Berlin, Alone in Berlin, The Artificial Silk Girl

Rounding off the top five most written about cities is Moscow. A city of enigmatic paradoxes and captivating cultural histories, the Russian capital has entranced novelists for decades, accumulating a significant 31,405,361 literary references.

Moscow book recommendations: A Gentlemen in Moscow, Gorky Park, In the First Circle

Feartured Photo by Marcin Nowak on Unsplash.

Latest articles

spot_imgspot_img

Related articles

spot_imgspot_img