The Jetpacker

It was Christmas Eve in Prague and we knew most attractions would be closed.  But we figured our one stronghold would be the Jewish Quarter.  We were wrong.

Evidently, we weren’t the only tourists who thought Josefov would be a safe bet to roam on Christmas Eve.  The district was crowded, even on a cold and cloudy late afternoon.

Here’s a look at our (unfortunately brief) walking tour in Prague’s Jewish Quarter…

Jan Palach Square

This quiet little square near the Vltava River offers an outstanding view of Prague Castle.  To the left is Charles University’s philosophy department building where there is a memorial to Jan Palach, the philosophy student who set himself on fire in 1968 to protest the communist invasion.

To the right is the grand Rudolfinum music hall, home to the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra.  In the courtyard is a statue of Czech composer Antonín Dvořák, who conducted the first concert by the Czech Philharmonic in the Rudolfinum in 1896.  A giant menorah sits outside the concert hall during Hanukkah.

Pinkas Synagogue

I really wish we could have entered the Pinkas Synagogue, Prague’s second oldest Jewish house of worship.  The names of the 77,297 Czechoslovakian victims of the holocaust are inscribed on the walls and there’s a display of artwork from the children who were once imprisoned in the Terezín concentration camp.

Behind the synagogue is the Old Jewish Cemetery, and the name doesn’t lie: it’s the oldest in Europe.  For 300 years, the Jews weren’t allowed to bury their dead anywhere else; so up to 100,000 bodies had to be stacked into this compact area, sometimes 12 layers deep.  The most famous gravestone belongs to Rabbi Löw, who, according to legend, created a Golem out of mud from the river to protect the Jewish people from the Catholics.  The cemetery also borders the Klausen Synagogue and the Ceremonial Hall.

Old-New Synagogue

The oxymoronically named Old-New Synagogue, completed in 1270, is Europe’s oldest active synagogue.  It’s here where Rabbi Löw created the legendary Golem.  Allegedly, the Golem went ballistic and the rabbi had to banish the creature to the attic where it may or may not still be today ($11 will get you inside the synagogue, but not the attic, which is closed to the public).

High Synagogue

Right across the street is the High Synagogue, constructed in 1568.  Now it’s home to a museum of Jewish artifacts such as silver ornaments and pieces of the Torah.

Jewish Town Hall

Just behind the High Synagogue is the Jewish Town Hall.  Although it’s closed to the public, the most interesting feature is the dual clocks at the top of the building.  The lower clock is marked with Hebrew numbers, and because Hebrew is read from right to left, the hands turn counter-clockwise.

Church Of The Holy Ghost

Here’s an oddity in the Jewish Quarter: a church.  This mid-14th century Gothic church sits right in the middle of Josefov and used to divide the Jewish community — literally and figuratively.  Just outside is a statue of Franz Kafka, the Czech Republic’s greatest author, who was born and raised in this area.  Much like his work, Kafka’s statue is absurd, fantastical, unusual and entertaining.

Spanish Synagogue

There’s nothing Spanish about the Spanish Synagogue. It looks like a Persian castle from “Aladdin” and the interior is decorated like a mosque.  Today the synagogue is used as museum dedicated to the history of the Bohemian Jews.

Maisel Synagogue

This synagogue was rebuilt twice, most recently in 1905, so the facade doesn’t scream history.  Maisel Synagogue is home to the Jewish Museum, which contains centuries’ worth of priceless objects such as Torah covers, 100,000 books and various ornaments.  The creepy thing is, most of these objects were confiscated from Nazis who were hoarding these items to construct a museum of “an extinct race.”