Prague Part III: Cultural Endeavors

Jewish Town:

After touring castle grounds and getting our fill of the old town square, Eric and I decided to get a bit more cultural in our explorations. To do this we headed to Josefov, the Jewish district of town. Located a few blocks from the Old Town Square, Josefov is a small district of Prague which is comprised of six synagogues, one large cemetery, and a ceremonial hall. It should be stated that many of these synagogues, with the exception of the New-Old Synagogue, are no longer used as places of worship. These synagogues have been converted into museums which document the history of the Jews who settled in Prague and Bohemia. We toured the Maisel, the Spanish, the Pinkas, and the Klaus Synagogues as well as the Old Jewish Cemetery and the Ceremonial Hall.

That Maisel Synagogue was built in the late 1500s. Here, we were able to read about the first Jewish settlements which arrived to Bohemia and about how these settlements progressed to the 18^th century. Also on display is the treasured silver collection, which contains many Torah pointers and crowns.

The Spanish Synagogue who gets its name from being built in the Moorish style, was built in the mid 1800s. This was without a doubt the most ornate of the synagogues. With gold paint and gildings used on all of the walls and ceilings, the inside is constantly glowing. The two floors of this building covers Bohemian Jewish history from the enlightenment to the post war years. It documents, in horrific detail, the ‘cleansings’ which this community was force to endure during this 200 year span. The most damaging, and shocking, of which happened during WWII.

The Pinkas Synagogue has been turned into a memorial for the Bohemian Jews who perished during WWII. Everything has been removed from the interior so only open rooms exist. On the walls are inscribed the names of the Jewish victims, along with their personal data, and what communities they belonged to.

The Old Jewish Museum can be found next to the Pinkas Synagogue and behind the Ceremonial hall. The Ceremonial Hall is where all of the preparations for burial took place. Now, inside this hall people can read up on Jewish customs and traditions in regards to death, illness, and medicine. The Old Jewish cemetery is a labyrinth of tombstones. This extremely small plot of land is home to 12,000 tombstones, but nearly 100,000 bodies. Because the city of Prague would not give the Jewish community more land for a cemetery, the Jews had to bring land in; so they began to bury upwards. As they did this, the tombstones began to rise as well. This explains why a tombstone from 1434 is situated next to one from the 1800s. At the risk of sounding morbid, this was my favorite part of the tour. I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect from the Jewish Museum, but I was pleasantly surprised by it all. I really enjoyed how it focused on Jewish history within Bohemia and the various traditions which developed over time.

Wenceslas Square:

Wenceslas Square, which is also known as New Town Square, played an important role in recent history. Currently the square is lined with shops, restaurants and hotels. The New Town Square is an ideal place for tourists or locals to kill an afternoon window shopping. At the far end of the square is the National Gallery. The National Gallery is an elaborately large and ornate building which houses a natural history museum. The large structure dominates the entire far end of the square is quite captivating to look at in the evening time. However, just twenty to twenty-two years ago Wenceslas Square was home to the Czech’s largest anti-communism and anti-soviet demonstrations. Many people put their lives on the line here for liberated and democratic Czech Republic. In order to get a better idea of how things used to be, Eric and I visited the Museum of Communism. There, we were able to look at old propaganda, interrogation rooms, and learn about the methods of the secret police. I found this to be one of the more interesting museums we went to. If you ever find yourself in Prague, I would highly recommend paying both the Jewish Museum and the Communism museum a visit.