We wandered around the Jewish Quarter (Josefov), between the Old Town Square and the Vltava River in Prague. Jews have lived in Prague since 970AD but were persecuted in the 11th and 12th centuries, many fleeing to this area by the river, seeking safety in numbers. In the 13th century Jews were ordered to leave their own homes around the city and all live in this area. Over the centuries Jews were banned from living elsewhere in Prague and Jews expelled from other areas in Europe came here in the 16th century. The population grew and the problem of overcrowding was exacerbated when the city decided structural changes were necessary in the area -removing buildings and changing the layout of streets (1893-1913).
Thankfully, despite the structural changes in what became known as the Prague Jewish Ghetto, many of the historical buildings were preserved, including six synagogues and a very old cemetery. The cemetery holds around 200,000 people buried between the year 1439 and 1787 when the cemetery closed. It is not that large an area so they are buried about 12 tombs deep. The cemetery and synagogues even survived the Nazi era as Hitler himself wanted to preserve the Jewish Quarter as a ‘Museum of an Extinct Race’. Indeed, Jewish artefacts the Nazis collected from other occupied countries were brought here to be part of the museum.
It would have been nice to have a look at the Jewish cemetery and museum and inside some of the synagogues but we didn’t want to pay all the entrance fees so settled for a walk around the streets and photos of the outside of the buildings.
Klausen Synagogue, Prague.
One memorable part of our tour was spotting the Hebrew clock on the Jewish Town Hall opposite the Old New Synagogue. Its numerals were Hebrew and its clock hands went the other way round, i.e. counter clockwise.
(L) Old New Synagogue. (R) Hebrew Clock on the Jewish Town Hall, Prague.
If I went back to Prague I’d take a peek in the Spanish Synagogue which from the picture outside looked quite glitzy on the inside. The exterior was nothing remarkable. It had a cool monument near the entrance of the writer Franz Kafka, who had lived most of his life in this area.
Franz Kafka Monument, Prague
Another day in the city we walked to the Jerusalem Synagogue. The building was not a stand alone synagogue like others we had seen but instead was one building among many, all built side by side on the street. You couldn’t miss it though because of its almost gaudy exterior. This very colourful synagogue was designed by Viennese architect Wilhelm Stiassny in 1903 and dedicated in September 1906. Inside its Art Nouveau fused with Moorish style was really interesting!
Jerusalem Synagogue, Prague
When you enter the synagogue ahead of you is the main facade displaying a large Islamic arch and a rosette window with the Star of David in the centre. In the interior space of the synagogue, to the left and right, two rows of seven Islamic arches support the upstairs women’s gallery. It was a beautiful, colourful space and there was an interesting exhibition concerning Jews in Prague after WWII, upstairs in the gallery. During World War II the synagogue was used as a warehouse and as a result was protected from destruction.
Inside the Jerusalem Synagogue, Prague.
