If the Old Jewish Cemetery in Prague looks like an example of chaotic disorder, the reason may be that approximately 100,000 bodies are purportedly crammed with 12,000 headstones — with as many as ten bodies stacked on one another under each crumbling tilted headstone — in this sacred place, as although the cemetery was expanded several times over the centuries, it was still not big enough to meet the needs of the Jewish Town.
Sunday Morning Photograph July 24 2022: Old Jewish Cemetery in Prague.
Avigdor Kara is a scholar and poet who died in 1439, which was 583 years ago and is the oldest recorded burial date in this cemetery. The last burial in this cemetery occurred 348 years later in 1787.
Although the Old Jewish Cemetery is the oldest surviving one in Prague, it is not the oldest Jewish cemetery in the city — but it is among the oldest Jewish cemeteries in the world.
Final Boarding Call
If you are in Prague, you should definitely take the time to visit the Old Jewish Cemetery. I really liked the textures of the Hebrew text in relief on each headstone.
To enter the Old Jewish Cemetery, you must purchase tickets as part of a tour through the Jewish Museum in Prague. The admission fees for the tour — which includes…
- Old Jewish Cemetery
- Old-New Synagogue
- Spanish Synagogue
- Maisel Synagogue
- Pinkas Synagogue
- Klausen Synagogue
- Ceremonial Hall
- Temporary exhibitons in the Robert Guttmann gallery
…are as follows:
| Adults | 500 Czech Koruna or $20.74 |
| Children between six and 15 years of age; and Students up to 25 years of age | 350 Czech Koruna or $14.52 |
| Disability card holders — if you have a severe health disability and are in need of assistance, your helper will have free admission | 85 Czech Koruna or $3.53 |
| Children up to five years of age | Free |
Please click here for a complete list of the Sunday Morning Photograph series of articles at The Gate, which include photographs taken of nature and sights of interest in many countries and territories around the world — including but not limited to:
- Andorra
- Argentina
- Bahamas
- Brazil
- Colombia
- Czechia or Czech Republic
- Dominican Republic
- Estonia
- Finland
- Iceland
- Kenya
- Latvia
- Lesotho
- Luxembourg
- Panama
- Poland
- Romania
- Slovenia
- South Korea
- Spain
- Thailand
- United Arab Emirates
- United States
- Uruguay
All photographs ©2004 by Brian Cohen.
