Josefov (Jewish Quarter)
Josefov
The best-preserved Jewish historic quarter in Europe, with the Old Jewish Cemetery's 12,000 layered gravestones, the Old-New Synagogue, and Kafka's birthplace.
Josefov is the Jewish Quarter within Prague's Old Town. Jews have lived here since the 10th century. It was named after Emperor Joseph II, who emancipated the Jews, in the 18th century. In the late 19th century, a 'clearance' removed most of the slums and built Art Nouveau apartments along Pařížská Street. Six synagogues, the Town Hall, and the cemetery survived. It is said that Hitler intended to preserve the quarter as a 'museum of an extinct people,' and Nazis gathered Jewish artifacts looted from across Europe here, which became the basis of the Jewish Museum's collection today.
The Jewish Museum combined ticket (about 550 CZK, covering six sites) includes the following: The Old Jewish Cemetery, where between 1439 and 1787 graves were stacked in layers because of limited space. About 12,000 gravestones are packed into 12 layers of soil, including the grave of Rabbi Loew, said to have created the Golem. The Pinkas Synagogue, whose walls are covered with the handwritten names of 80,000 Bohemian and Moravian Holocaust victims, and whose upper floor displays drawings by children from the Terezín concentration camp. The Spanish Synagogue, in Moorish Revival style and richly decorated. The Klausen and Maisel Synagogues, which have historical exhibitions. And the Ceremonial Hall.
The Old-New Synagogue (1270, the oldest synagogue in Europe still in use, where the Golem is said to be hidden in its attic) is not included in the combined ticket and costs about 250 CZK separately. Kafka was born in 1883 on a corner of Old Town Square within the quarter, where there is now a memorial sculpture and a café. On Maisel Street, there are small shops related to Kafka and the Golem.
The quarter is easy to explore on foot. It is a 3-minute walk from Old Town Square along Pařížská Street, or take Metro Line A to Staroměstská station. Men must wear the paper kippah provided at the entrance to enter the synagogues. Keep quiet in the cemetery, and photography is not allowed inside the synagogues.
Opening hours
Nov–Mar 09:00–16:30; Apr–Oct 09:00–18:00; closed Saturdays and Jewish holidays
Nearby sights
- Old Town Square & Astronomical Clock
- Clementinum
- Havelské tržiště
- Letná Park
- Charles Bridge
- Head of Franz Kafka
- Municipal House & Powder Tower
- Mucha Museum