The Prague Jewish Quarter

The Jewish quarter of Josefov

The Prague audio-guided tour has you enter the Jewish quarter, a place apart, deeply rooted in the history of the capital. Named Josefov, it was for centuries the land of welcome and refuge of the Czech Jewish community, whose memory deserves to be evoked with respect.

From the medieval ghetto to emancipation

The quarter bears the name of Emperor Joseph, who emancipated the Jews in the eighteenth century. A former ghetto, it welcomed the Jewish community from the Middle Ages, in often difficult conditions. Its austere appearance of the early days has greatly changed: at the end of the nineteenth century, a great redevelopment transformed the quarter, which then adopted an Art Nouveau style. But all the history, sometimes painful, linked to this place remains deeply present.

What there is to see

Josefov brings together an exceptional ensemble of monuments: several historic synagogues, the old Jewish cemetery with its countless tombstones, and the Jewish Museum of Prague. This heritage, one of the most important in Europe, retraces the life, the faith and the tragic destiny of the community. It is an essential place of memory, to be visited with gravity and contemplation.

Practical information

The Jewish quarter of Josefov is in the Old Town of Prague, near the Vltava. Its streets can be walked freely on foot at all hours and on the level; the synagogues, the cemetery and the Jewish Museum follow their own schedule, with a charge, whose opening times may vary with the season and the holidays. A respectful attitude is expected.

Where does the name Josefov come from?

From Emperor Joseph, who emancipated the Jews in the eighteenth century; the quarter was the former Jewish ghetto of Prague.

What can you visit in the Jewish quarter?

Several historic synagogues, the old Jewish cemetery and the Jewish Museum of Prague, one of the most important ensembles of this kind in Europe.