Prague’s Old Jewish Cemetery
When you visit Prague, you will want to plan to spend time in the Jewish Quarter for the complicated history found here. One of the most intriguing places in this area is Prague’s Old Jewish Cemetery.
Prague’s Old Jewish Cemetery is the burial place of 100,000 people
The Old Jewish Cemetery has a mystic atmosphere all its own. The tombstones, dating from 1439 to the late 1700s, sit nestled in crowded, lopsided clumps. The inscriptions are worn or long gone. As you wind around the tree-lined paths of the tranquil cemetery, you’ll want to know that about 100,000 people are buried here. How is that possible? The Jews were restricted to burying their dead only within the ghetto walls, so for centuries, this was the only place for graves. When one layer of ground was full, dirt was added and another layer was made. It’s estimated that 12 layers of graves lie here. The resulting tangle of headstones is at once picturesque and absolutely haunting. 
Why Prague’s Old Jewish Cemetery survived WW II
You may also wonder how this plot of Jewish history survived WWII, when Jews living here were deported to camps. It’s said that Adolf Hitler kept the Old Jewish Cemetery as it is because he wanted it to be a museum of a race he would extinguish from the world. 
Visiting the Pinkas Synagogue
Next to the Old Jewish Cemetery is one of the synagogues open to tour in the Jewish sector of Prague. The Pinkas Synagogue dates from 1479 and today is a memorial to the Jews persecuted by the Nazis.
On the walls of this small, almost home-like synagogue are the names of the 77,297 Jews from Bohemia and Moravia who did not survive their time in the Theresienstadt Concentration Camp. 
The names are arranged by family, in red letters, and include birthdates and dates of death or deportation. The sheer volume of names is overwhelming, and add to that the sound of the names being read over the speakers while music is played in the background. 
One wall displays the names of the camps that received Czech Jews during WWII. 
In one wing of the synagogue you’ll find a display of children’s art coming out of Theresienstadt Concentration Camp. Very few lived through the war, but their art survived to depict their view of life. This picture shows a city park closed to Jewish children.
This proved to be a most moving exhibit, bringing tears to my eyes.
The Pinkas Synagogue memorial was started in the 1950s but languished during Communist rule. The memorial was finished and opened to the public in 1996. 
Look for the stumbling stones among the cobblestones
As you leave the Jewish Quarter and walk around Prague, you’ll see memorial plaques in the sidewalks, known as stumbling stones or stolpersteine. The inscriptions contain names and dates of Jews and others such as homosexuals, mentally ill, and criminals who were deported during WWII. Efforts are made to place the stumbling stones in the location of those who once lived here and were deported. These are another reminder – never forget.
Pro tip: As of April 2023, more than 90,000 stumble stones lie spread over more than 2,000 European cities and towns in 28 European countries. This makes the stumbling stones the largest decentralized wartime memorial in the world. Look for these brass markers in sidewalks when you visit other places besides Prague.
When you visit Prague’s Old Jewish Cemetery and the area around it, you will get a feel for Prague’s residents who were confined and deported, often not surviving to return. It’s a somber place to think about life and death. A visit here will be something you will always remember.
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Where I Stayed in Prague
The Hotel Jungmann, named after a man who ensured that Czech would remain the language of Prague, is located just a few long blocks from the main square. The rooms are large, and a little sidewalk cafe is right outside. My favorite part was the breakfast room down a winding stairway into a stone room. There’s some history here, right? The hotel is not fancy, but it was the perfect location and very comfortable. 
Read these posts for more about Prague:
Visiting the Charles Bridge in Prague
How to Spend Two Days in Prague
Prague Castle
Prague’s Old Town Square
Prague’s Heroes of WWII
Wow. I got goosebumps. I so want to see this one day.
Prague is a plac i want to visit and now this is a plac you have shown us that I wil definitey visit. Thanks for sharing. it is very sad but good that there is this memmorial for allto remember about what happened to the Jews. HAve a good week ahead,
Prague is on one of my places to visit. This really gives me goosebumps. I enjoy your writing style and the eye for catching the details. Happy travelling!!!!
Isn’t this place just fascinating? I have visited twice, but it hadn’t lost any of its magic. Even on a busy August morning, things were still peaceful there.
#MondayEscapes
The numbers haunt me. This is indescribably tragic. Prague may not have been bombed in the world Wars, but certainly did not escape the horror of the wars. Thank you for telling All Seasons the must-know situation about the Jews back then:( Have a love-filled week, Sharon!
Wunderbare Bilder und ein toller informativer Text. Ich werde öfter vorbeischauen und werde dir folgen.
Viele Grüße aus Hamburg
Susa
I really enjoyed my trip here a few years back, it’s a fascinating area even with its sad stories. #MondayEscapes
12 layers of graves? That is incredible there were so many and also terribly sad that the Jewish people didn’t have better conditions to bury their dead. I think it is so important to remember all of these tragic stories even though it can be an uncomfortable thing to do. Thank you for sharing! #MondayEscapes
I have visited the Prague Jewish Cementery as a teenager and would love to go back. I remember that seeing all the names on the wall, was quiet emotional and I had the same feeling years later when walking through Yad Vashem in in Jerusalem. #mondayescapes
The cemetery is hauntingly beautiful but also heart-breaking! So many lives considered unworthy of life; so many lost during the War too, and the Synagogue is so overwhelming! The memorial is one I would visit. I don’t think I could get through Auschwitz or one of the camps, but this I would visit. I have been reading books about the way the Polish were treated, and particularly the Jews, by the Nazis and it is so horrifying! A part of our human history to never forget, as you say! Beautiful photos of this sad sad place.
so beautiful, and so sad…thank you for sharing
Haunting and incredibly sad, thank you for another beautiful post on tragedy that we must not forget.
Heartbreaking to think of man’s inhumanity to man. I am glad this cemetery wasn’t destroyed by Hitler’s goons. It is well worth remembering those who suffered under his terrible reign.
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What a heart-breaking picture by the child. Such a tragedy and an incredibly moving memorial. Thanks for linking up with #MondayEscapes
Oh wow, how so very sad and yet fascinating.
I found this synagogue and the nearby cemetery very moving when i visited.
A moving post. And always it’s worth reminding us of these things because the sheer numbers are so hard to grasp they seem almost impossible – so we need to be told over and over and over.
What a wonderful piece of history to find and share with us.
Fascinating. Prague is an intriguing destination.
Worth a Thousand Words
Haunting and beautiful at the same time. We must hope and pray that we live in a more humane era.
Wow! I would like to visit there one day. It is haunting and beautiful. I pray that we may one day live in a world where such things as these do not happen. It’s unfathomable to imagine that kind of hatred…but it’s important to remember that people are able to turn their backs to such things. They can be apathetic and scared and justify looking away. That is what we must all see in ourselves in order to prevent atrocities to our fellow human beings. I think that is why reminders are so important. I like that they are on the sidewalks where every day people walk…because everyday people turn their backs every day. We need to recognize that in ourselves in order to change it forever.
What an amazing piece of history. Definitely on my list of places I would love to visit
Mollyx
Wow! This is on my list of places to visit. What a somber place. Glad you have been there. Your photos are wonderful.
It’s sad to think about the history of this cemetery, but places like these are reminders of what we can learn from. Your story as you walk through the cemetery was haunting, real, and emotional. I appreciate your honesty and hearing your story.
This was absolutely one of the most haunting experiences I’ve had. We were in Prague in April 2016 and visiting Pinkas reminded me of how important it was that we didn’t tolerate bigotry… unfortunately November 2016 did not go our way, but the feelings I had of seeing those names – so many names – and dates – has stuck with me. The cemetery was so peaceful – it’s hard to believe that it’s in the middle of Prague! #citytripping
Haunting photos. I can’t imagine 12 layers of graves. I think it’s so important to visit these sorts of places to remember the injustices that happened, and hope that they don’t happen again.
This seems such an interesting place to visit – especially when you learn about the history behind it. #FarawayFiles
We sadly only walked by and took pictures from the outside. There were just massive lines to get in, and I have a hard time in general visiting graves. It’s incredibly impressive that there are so many layers though! #FarawayFiles
On my first visit to Prague we went to an exhibit of the art from the children of Terezin. It was heart breaking. They also had these horrible marionette puppets depicting Nazis, Hitler and Jews as if the children wanted to see puppet shows of the horrors they were living. The cemetery is equally haunting and beautiful.
A very powerful post. I”m so glad you’ve shared it. #citytripping
What an incredibly moving place – the sheer number of names in the Pinkas Synagogue are terrifying. I am glad of all the memorials in Prague, from the enduring cemetery to the solpersteine, and that horrific though this part of history was, we remember it that it might never happen again. Thank you for linking up with #citytripping
What a heartbreaking place this must have been to visit – but an important one nevertheless. Thanks for sharing it with us on #FarawayFies
I am aware of this place but have never been there. I did not know about the graves being piled on top of another due to limited space. No words, so sad. #TheWeeklyPostcard
12 layers of graves is astonishing. Just as haunting is the child’s picture of the playground closed to the Jewish. After all these years it’s still so hard to believe that this actually happened. Thanks for linking up with #farawayfiles
This cemetery is one the most moving places I’ve ever visited. Great post!
#TheWeeklyPostcard
Reading inscriptions on tomb stones and plaques has always fascinated but saddned me. I would love to see this cemetery to honour the dead. #TheWeeklyPostcard
We saw the cemetery when we visited Prague – I couldn’t get over the sheer number of headstones. I think it’s a very moving place.
Prague’s Jewish Cemetery is indeed very atmospheric. I remember having a feeling of sadness when I saw that pile of headstones laying there in disorder. It’s a place of remembrance that every young person should visit. The atrocities of war may seem unbelievable to those who were born in times of piece and abundance.
Haunting is the perfect word. What a beautiful tribute to an emotionally – charged subject matter. Your pictures are stunning as well.
Heartbreaking and moving. Fantastic photos!
Fascinating, heartbreaking, beautiful, important. Thank you for sharing this place, and whilst obviously I wish none of it had happened, I’m glad the victims are being remembered in such beautiful ways. Thanks for sharing these pictures and the stories behind them.
This is a fascinating look at the Jewish Quarter in Prague. The history of the Old Jewish Cemetery and Pinkas Synagogue makes this a deeply moving place to visit.