Prague's Old Historical Jewish Quarters Deep in the heart of Prague is a six centuries old Jewish Town (+420) 604254334


The map of old town Jewish area called Josefov

The map of old town Jewish area called Josefov

Prague has one of the oldest Jewish Centres in Central Europe. The Prague Jewish Community has got one thousand years of history.
Except of the Old Jewish Cemetery, the most prominent sites of Prague Jewish Town are its synagogues.

It is a walking tour (the minimum lenght of tour is 4 hours) in the area of Josefov named after the Emperor Josef II., situated in a part of the Old Town, where the Jewish Quarter existed approximately since 14th century till the year 1781. There, still standing and in use are the synagogues that are mostly used as museums, the Old Jewish Cemetery, and the Jewish Town Hall.
The first Jewish museum in Prague was founded already in 1906 to preserve valuable artefatcts from the Prague synagogues that were liquidated during the reconstruction of the Jewish Town at the beginning of the 20th century. The museum was closed after the Nazi occupation in 1939 . In 1942 the Nazis established the Central Jewish Museum , to which were brought artefacts from the destroyed Jewish communities , the Nazis approved the project of the Jewish museum staff to set up a central museum in Prague . During the Communist regime , everything was transferred under the pressure to the state . After the end of the Communist regime in 1989 , in 1994 everything was returned to the Jewsih Community of Prague .
The Jewish Museum has one of the most extensive collections of Judaic art in the world.

The Old-New Synagogue

There is an old legend that the foundation stones of for the Old-New Synagogue were brought by angels from the destroyed Temple of Jerusalem. The ending to this legend and others can be heard on the tour. It is the oldest synagogue in Europa at the present , from the year 1280.The Old-New Synagogue , which is not part of the Jewish Museum , is one of three Prague synagogues , together with the High and the Jerusalem Synagogues , in which divine services are held .

The Maisel Synagogue

The Maisel Synagogue was the home of the birth of liberal Judaism in the 19th Century. There is the exhibition about the history of the Jewish settlements of our country from the 9th-10th centuries , till the year 1781. It was built in 1590-1592 by the Mayor of the Jewish Town Mordechai Maisel .

The Klausen Synagogue

The Klausen Synagogue is located by the exit from the Old Jewish Cemetery .It takes the name from the German word "Klaus" meaning "small building" , it was the name of original three smaller buildings at the place of which was built the present Klausen Synagogue in 1694. You will be fascinated with the collections exhibited in it reminding us the Jewish customs and traditions.

The Spanish Synagogue

The Spanish Synagogue was built in the later part of the 19th century in the Spanish-Moorish design. This synagogue fell through hard times but as you can see beauty lasts forever. THere is the historical exhibition about the history of the 19th and the 20th century , i.e. abou the enlightenment and emancipation in the Austro-Hungarian Empire till 1918 , about the First Republic life till 1938 , about the Nazi Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia ( 1939-1945) and the postwar decades .

The Pinkas Synagogue

Enterring the Pinkas Synagogue, one sees this beautiful courtyard and early Renaissance entryway.It is the memorial of holocaust at the present with the names of 78000 victims all over the walls inside and the exhibition of Children´s Drawings from Terezin Concentration Camp , among the Terezin prisoners there were over 10000 children under the age of 15 at the time of imprisonment , of 8000 that were deported to the East about 242 survived the wartime suffering .

Chevra Cadisha - The Ceremonial Hall

The Hevrah Kaddishah building currently holds a permanent exhibition of this Burial Society founded in Prague in the 16th century by the Rabbi Low . The building itself was built in 1911-1912 in pseudo-Romanesque style .

The tombstone of Rabbi Low

The renowned Rabbi Low ( the most prominent person buried in the Old Jewish Cemetery - the great religious teacher and scholar Rabbi Liwa ben Bezalel ),called also MAHARAL, was buried in this cemetery in 1609 . His tombstone can be seen in the foreground with the lion's head.It is the pilgrimage place of millions of Prague visitors and the Prague citizens as well. He was the great scholar , but every child knows him from the legend about Golem - the artificial monster constructed by him.

Old Jewish Cemetery

This ancient cemetery, in the heart of the Jewish Town was opened perhaps in the 15th century ( the oldest tomb on the top is from the year 1439 )and closed to further burials in 1787. There are twelve layers in which people were burried , thousands of graves are underneese and twelve thousands of tombstones on the top.The pictoresque groups of tombstones from various periods result from the fact that older stones were lifted up several times from the lower layers.

Jewish Prague

Optional extension of tour.