The congested Old Jewish Cemetery in the Jewish Quarter or Josefov of Prague, capital of the Czech Republic / Czechia, probably holds well over 100,000 burials, with about 12,000 ancient gravestones on the surface and many more bodies interred in up to 12 levels underground. Although the cemetery was enlarged several times during the 350-odd years it was in use, it was still far too small. The headstones now on the surface were raised to ground level as the levels built up, so most commemorate Jews buried several layers down.
Prague, Czechia / Czech Republic: at least 12,000 headstones in all shapes and sizes are packed into the Old Jewish Cemetery in the Czech capital’s Jewish Quarter or Josefov - with around 100,000 burials beneath them in up to 12 underground layers. Europe’s second oldest Jewish graveyard was used for nearly 350 years until 1787 and despite being enlarged, was still too small. As layers of bodies mounted, some ancient tombstones were raised to the new surface, so many visible today actually commemorate people buried several levels down. The cemetery surface now lies well above surrounding streets and the soil and graves are held in place by retaining walls. The Old Jewish Cemetery is among the world’s oldest surviving Jewish burial grounds. Its foundation date is not known, but it replaced a so-called “Jewish Garden” closed in 1478. The earliest gravestone is that of rabbi and liturgical poet Avigdor Kara (died 1439). The oldest gravestones are plain apart from Hebrew inscriptions, but later examples feature architectural details such as pilasters. From the 16th century the deceased were characterised by symbols relating to their name, character or profession, such as pairs of blessing hands, wine grapes or animals such as lions, bears, deer and wolves. A harp or violin indicated a musician, a lancet a physician and a pair of scissors a tailor. Important Jewish figures buried here include scholar, teacher and writer Rabbi Judah Loew ben Bezulel (died 1609), Mordecai Maisel (1601), developer of the Prague Jewish Town and David Gans (1613), Renaissance scholar, historian, mathematician and astronomer. Rabbi Judah Loew’s grave draws pilgrims from all over the world, as he was responsible for the tale of the legendary Golem, a giant clay figure able to defend the Jewish ghetto from antisemitic attacks once it was endowed with life.
Size: 2592px × 3872px
Location: Old Jewish Cemetery, Jewish Quarter or Josefov, Prague, Czechia / Czech Republic.
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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