The Jewish Quarter Josefov

The Jewish Quarter in Prague, known as Josefov, is located between the Old Town Square and the Vltava River. Is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Prague.

The name Josefov comes from the emperor Josef II, whose reforms improved the living conditions for the Jewish in Prague. The Jewish Quarter arose in the 13th century, but its recent outlooks are given by the great slum clearance and its reconstruction on the turn of 19th and 20th centuries. Over the centuries more and more people were crowded into the area, as Jews were banned from living anywhere else. As many of the Jewish died during the WWII and were forced by the communist regime to leave the country, the current Prague community numbers 5000 – 6000 people. This moving story embraces the traditions, customs and legends of the Jewish people in Prague, from their early settlements in the 10th century, through the poverty of the pogrom refugees, their glittering successes and their enforced isolations. The complex of the Jewish Quarter includes the Old Jewish Cemetery, the Town Hall, the Ceremonial Hall and six synagogues: the Old-New Synagogue, the Pinkas Synagogue, the Maisel Synagogue, the Spanish Synagogue, the Klausen Synagogue and the High Synagogue.

Old Jewish Cemetery (Stary zidovsky hrbitov)

One of the most impressive sights in Prague, founded in 1478, it is Europe's oldest surviving Jewish cemetery. In the Old Jewish Cemetery in Josefov, there are around 12,000 tombstones, crowded closely together with almost no grass between them. 100000 people are thought to have been buried here, the last one was Moses Beck in 1787. The most prominent graves are those of Mordechai Maisel and Rabi Löw.

The Jewish Museum in Prague has one of the most extensive collections of Jewish art, textiles and silver in the world; there are 40,000 exhibits and 100,000 books. The collection is unique, everything in the museum was gathered from Bohemia and Moravia and evokes the Jewish history and a valuable heritage for the present Czech Republic. The exhibitions of the Jewish Museum in Prague are located in six historic sites: The Maisel Synagogue, The Spanish Synagogue, The Pinkas Synagogue, The Old Jewish Cemetery, The Klausen Synagogue and The Ceremonial Hall.
More informations : http://www.jewishmuseum.cz/

Pinkas Synagogue (Pinkasova Synagoga)
Founded in 1479 by Rabbi Pinkas, one of the Jewish community wealthy member, it is now one of the memorials to the victims of the Holocaust. There is a gallery for women added in the early 17th century. Since after the WWII it has served as a memorial to all the 77,297 Jewish Czechoslowak victims of the Nazis. Their names are inscribed on the walls. There is also a collection of paintings and drawings by children held in the Terezín concentration camp during WWII.

Klausen Synagogue (Klausova synagoga)
The Klausen Synagogue is located by the entrance to the Old Jewish Cemetery. It takes its name from the German word "Klaus" meaning "smal building", which is derived from the Latin "claustrum". This Baroque synagogue was completed in 1694. There is a good exhibition of Hebrew prints and manuscripts, an exhibition of Jewish traditions and customs and also drawings of children from the Terezín concentration camp.

Old-New Synagogue (Staronova synagoga)
The Old-New Synagogue on Maiselova Street in Josefov, the old Jewish quarter of Prague, is the oldest synagogue in Europe that is still in use as a house of prayer. Built around 1270, it is the oldest working synagogue in Europe and one of Prague's earliest Gothic buildings. On the eastern wall is the Holy Ark in which the Torah scrolls are kept, on the walls are Hebrew biblical abbreviations.

High Synagogue (Vysoka synagoga)
So called because its prayer hall is on the first floor, this synagogue was built in the 16th century and financed by Mordechai Maisel, mayor of the Jewish Town. The synagogues hosts an exhibition of Torah mantles, curtains, silver ornaments and also a Jewish museum shop on the ground floor.

Jewish Town Hall (Zidovska radnice)
The Old Jewish Town Hall is nestled next to the Old-New Synagogue in Josefov. While now Old Jewish Town Hall has a Baroque facade, it was originally built in the 16th Century. The Old Jewish Town Hall now acts as the Jewish Community Center, providing information to visitors about Jewish tours as well as information about activities and events of interest to both locals and tourists. It is perhaps best known for its two clocks, one on a tower with Roman numeral markings, the other, lower, with Hebrew numbers and hands that turn counterclockwise, just as Hebrew reads from right to left.

Maisel Synagogue (Maiselova synagoga)
Built by Maisel the original Renaissance building was a victim of the fire in 1689. A new neo-Gothic synagogue has been built in its place. The Maisel Synagogue is currently used by the Jewish Museum as an exhibition venue and depository. Housed a fascinating collection of Jewish silver, textiles, prints and books, most of them brought to Prague by the Nazis with the intention of establishing a museum of vanished people.

Spanish Synagogue (Spanelska synagoga)

Built in 1868 the Spanish synagogue was named after its striking Moorish interior. The synagogue has a regular square plan with a large dome surmounting the central space. On three sides there are galleries on metal structures, which fully open onto the nave. There is an exhibition showing the life of the Jews in the Czech Republic from emancipation to the present day.

Although only some of the significant sights with long Jewish history have been preserved, they form one the best-preserved Jewish sights in Europe. The Jewish Quarter forms an important part of the history of Prague and visitors gain a fascinating insight into the life and times of the people who have lived there.