Paris Street – Rebuilding The Prague Jewish Quarter Before you start this post be sure to read Why the Prague Jewish Ghetto Was Destroyed. That post explained the reasons for the demolition. This post starts in 1887 with the plan for the rebuilding of the Prague Jewish Quarter into what you see today. Of all … Read More
Franz Kafka Monument I’ve written about the sculptor Jaroslav Rona and I’ve written about Franz Kafka so what about a post that links them. People might be confused because there will be references to two different Franz Kafka monuments in Prague. If you are looking for the huge shining Franz Kafka head which rotates then … Read More
The Prague Jewish Ghetto Destruction On this post I’ll seek to give you an overview of the timeline and decisions taken which eventually led to the destruction of the Prague Jewish Ghetto. Before the year 1437 Jewish citizens in Prague could live wherever they wanted and there is ample evidence to show that they had … Read More
Jewish Ceremonial Hall in Prague, there’s more than one! This building in Josefov is strongly linked to something called Chevra Kadisha and I’ll explain more about them below. Both the Ceremonial Hall and the adjacent Klausen Synagogue deal with Jewish customs and traditions. The Jewish Ceremonial Hall story is described on my Old Town and … Read More
The Prague Golem In Jewish folklore, a Golem is an animated anthropomorphic being that is created entirely from inanimate matter (usually clay or mud). Just before you reach for the dictionary….anthropomorphic means onto which human traits may be observed but is not human. SPOILER ALERT: If you believe in the Old Testament then it’s natural … Read More
Prague Old New Synagogue The Prague Old New Synagogue is one of 6 synagogues in the Josefov district of Prague 1 (only 5 synagogues are publicly accessible). Where you see references to the Old Town it’s because the Old Town completely surrounds Josefov. Here I’ll give you an introduction and a few tips for visiting. … Read More
Prague Jewish Quarter – Fifth District I’ve spent many interesting hours browsing the Prague Jewish Quarter. Don’t expect delicatessens and milliners on the street corners. Although the area does contain a small Jewish community it must be considered as an “Historical” Jewish area. It’s easier to understand the area of the Prague Jewish Quarter if … Read More