Posted by The Jewish Cemetery is one of the most visited and important sights of Prague. It is centrally located in the city centre in the former Jewish quarter Josefov Prague. Together with many other Jewish sights in the surrounding area, it belongs to the Jewish Museum Prague. All these sights (especially about 5 synagogues and the cemetery) can be visited with one ticket.
Important: Guided tours and Prague Card Jewish Quarter JosefovSince things are quite difficult to understand, we recommend a good guided tour of the Jewish Josefov. This should be booked in advance on the Internet (duration about 2.5 hours), because the capacities are limited. >>> Link with more info and booking With the great Prague Card the entrance to the Jewish sights is free. The Prague Card is a tourist ticket with free entrance to many sights in Prague and more. >>> On this link you can get the Prague Card and more info. |
More than 100,000 people were probably buried at the Old Jewish Cemetery in the 15th to 18th centuries. Since the cemetery was much too small for so many people, lack of space was the biggest problem. The whole Jewish ghetto of Prague was much too small. Hardly where people lived more closely together than in Josefov. Thus the Jewish cemetery could not be extended. Today you can see how close the gravestones are to each other. Often people were buried in more than 10 layers on top of each other.
Important: Guided tours and Prague Card Jewish Quarter Josefov
Since things are quite difficult to understand, we recommend a good guide through the Jewish Josefov. You should book this in advance on the Internet (duration about 2.5 hours), as the capacities are limited. >>> Link with more information and booking
With the great Prague Card the entrance to the Jewish sights is free of charge. The Prague Card is a tourist ticket with free entry to many sights in Prague and much more. >>> On this link you can find the Prague Card and more information.
From 1787 the Jews of Prague were buried in another place, outside the Josefov quarter. However, the old cemetery is still preserved today and is visited daily by hundreds (thousands in summer) of tourists.
The most famous grave is that of the legendary Rabbi Löw (died 1609). Most of the more than 12,000 gravestones at the Old Jewish Cemetery in Prague can still be seen today.
Information about entrance fees, tickets and opening hours can be found on our website about the Jewish quarter Josefov in Prague.
With the Prague Card, visiting the cemetery is free of charge for tourists.
Since many things in the Jewish quarter Josefstadt are difficult for normal people to understand, we recommend a good guided tour through the district: >>> Link to the website with more information and possibility to book.
Short film (3 min) about the old Jewish cemetery
Czech name: Starý židovský hřbitov v Praze-Josefově ; English: Old Jewish Cemetery Prague