Josefov, Prague’s Jewish Quarter, is a compact neighbourhood between Old Town Square and the Vltava. Its surviving synagogues and cemetery preserve traces of a Jewish community whose history in Prague stretches back centuries, even as the streets around them have been transformed.
Much of the old Jewish town was demolished during an urban renewal project around the turn of the 20th century. The Old Jewish Cemetery survived: its crowded, tilted headstones mark a burial ground used from the 15th century, where graves were layered as space ran short. Nearby, the walls of the Pinkas Synagogue bear the names of nearly 78,000 Jewish victims of the Holocaust from Bohemia and Moravia.
The neighbourhood rewards a slow walk between its historic sites and elegant apartment buildings. The Gothic Old-New Synagogue remains an active house of worship, while the Spanish Synagogue is known for its richly patterned Moorish Revival interior. Along Pařížská, luxury boutiques add a striking modern contrast to the quarter’s much older landmarks.
Allow at least two to three hours for the Jewish Museum sites and cemetery, and check current opening times and ticket options before visiting. The museum is closed on Saturdays and Jewish holidays; admission to the Old-New Synagogue is generally separate. Weekday mornings are a good choice for a quieter visit.