Prague’s Jewish quarter is absolutely fascinating. Josefov is completely surrounded by the Old Town. It used to be a Jewish ghetto and was also planned as an “exotic museum of an extinct race”. The Jewish quarter has only six remaining synagogues and all of are beautiful structures and have incredible historical significance. There is the Old New Synagogue, the Moorish designed Spanish Synagogue, the Pinkas Synagogue, the now museum Maisel Synagogue, and the baroque Klaus Synagogue.
The Jewish cemetery is especially interesting. The number of graves is unknown. Since the Jews were restricted to their ghettos they had no space to expand their already full cemetery. Their solution was to merely build on top of the cemetery. Layers and layers of graves and tombstones are built on top of each other. The tombstones sprout out of the ground every which way: side by side, crooked, and on top of each other. Bushes and trees are everywhere covering the little sunlight that does peeks through. The whole place has tinge of grey and gives off an somber, melancholy vibe. You can enter the cemetery and walk through the designated paths and see for yourself the astonishing number of graves that exist in such a cramped area. There are also astounding memorials remembering all the Jews that have died, with their names written all over the walls. It is truly a sentimental moment for people of any race.
To discover more about Prague head on over to suzytraveler.blogspot.com
praguewriter
Recent Comments