The Jewish quarter in Prague, Josefov, is an absolute must visit area. The history of the Jewish neighborhood, synagogues and the graveyard is extremely interesting and informative.
The Jewish quarter in Prague, Josefov, is an absolute must visit area. The history of the Jewish neighborhood, synagogues and the graveyard is extremely interesting and informative.
I did not buy tickets for the Jewish museum, therefore did not enter synagogues or cemetery. But even without that, walking around and watching variety of architecture – from the oldest Gothic Old New Synagogue to the newest, over ornate Spanish synagogue, variety of house décor, some quite opulent, is pleasure in itself. The same area holds also monument to Franz Kafka (by the Spanish Synagogue). And also, note a Jewish tower clock by the Gothic Old New Synagogue with Hebrew hours, just below the usual clock.
This is a beautiful but fascinating part of the city, located close to the Old Town Square between here and the Vitava River. It is not a large area and perhaps not the most beautiful in terms of architecture. but fascinating nevertheless, the main attraction of course being the Jewish Museum and its various different sites.
When in Prague, this is the best area to stay. Accessible to all sites in the city. Walkable. So many beautiful vintage buildings. Great restaurants and great prices for bohemian crystal in this area of the city as well.
We stayed at the Josef apartments which are in an old building opposite the Jewish cemetery. The building has been renovated into flats with all you will need for a pleasant stay. Our apartment had a full working kitchen , shower room, the toilet which is noisy as it's a Saniflo and it comes on every time you use the toilet or run the tap. Everything else is good, nice standard of accommodation not far from many historical sites
We visited this fascinating section of Prague as part of Sandeman's Prague tour (see separate review - highly recommended!) Very moving, with a great history. One thing that sticks with me is our Sandeman's guide Terry's insight that the reason why Hitler never destroyed the Prague Jewish quarter is that he wanted to keep it as a 'museum' of an extinct race. How incredibly disturbing, whilst at the same time fortunate that this piece of cultural history was spared the devastation so many other parts of Europe did not escape.