Tour of Prague Jewish Quarter

The Jewish Town is one of the most unique, preserved Jewish neighborhoods in Central Europe. The area has been inhabited since the 10th century when the building of the Old Town began. It flourished during the reign of Emperor Rudolph II. The most famous personality of that time was Rabbi Löw, whose grave can be seen in the spectacular Jewish Cemetery, dating from the 15th century. It was a miracle that the cemetery survived the Nazi occupation and World War II.

We will first drive you to the Jewish Town area, the tour then continues to the Jewish museum, Prague Jewish cemetery and following synagogues: Old-New, Pinkas, Maisel, Klaus, High and Spanish.

The Jewish Town is one of the most unique, preserved Jewish neighborhoods in Central Europe. The area has been inhabited since the 10th century when the building of the Old Town began. It flourished during the reign of Emperor Rudolph II. The most famous personality of that time was Rabbi Löw, whose grave can be seen in the spectacular Jewish Cemetery, dating from the 15th century. It was a miracle that the cemetery survived the Nazi occupation and World War II. The oldest synagogue in the Jewish Town is the so-called Old-New Synagogue, built in the early Gothic style in 1280. Next to the cemetery is the Pinkas Synagogue, originally from the 11th century and largely rebuilt in Renaissance style. Nowadays, it is a monument to the victims of Nazism.

An exhibition of Jewish history is located in the Maisel Synagogue that was built at the end of the 16th century by a leader of the Jewish Ghetto Mordechai Maisel (the financial adviser of Emperor Rudolph II). Continuing to Klaus Synagogue you will learn about Jewish rituals and then on to the neo-Romanesque building in which one can see an exhibition of old Jewish printings, manuscripts and paintings that were dedicated to the Jewish Burial Brotherhood. The tour will then lead past the High Synagogue, a two-floor building from the 17th century. Afterwards, we will walk across the Pařížská Boulevard with one of the largest concentrations of Art-Nouveau bourgeois architecture in Prague. At the end, you will visit the Spanish Synagogue, famous for its interesting architecture of neo-Renaissance style with oriental elements mixed with functionalism.

End of the tour will be at the Old Town Square, historically the second most important place in Prague (after the Prague Castle). Throughout history, it witnessed many important events such as the execution of 27 Czech Lords as the result of the Protestant revolt in 1620, or the election of the Czech king, George of Poděbrady. More recently, it was the center of mass demonstrations when the Republic of Czechoslovakia was created in 1918.

Among a number of interesting highlights is the Old Town Hall with the astronomical clock where twelve apostles appear each hour. Another important building is the Gothic Church of Our Lady Before Týn that served as a Protestant cathedral in the 15th century and where you can see the grave of Tycho de Brahe, the famous astrologer of Emperor Rudolf II.