09/19/2022
The Old Jewish Cemetery in Prague is a deeply beautiful and evocative place. Many tourists to Prague have been taken with the famous graves and the forest of tombstones that gives the cemetery a very unique look. The cemetery was in active use from the beginning of the 15th century until 1786. It inspired the Italian author, Umberto Eco, who named his book "The Prague Cemetery" after this historic burial ground.
The densely packed tombstones are the result of centuries of restrictions imposed by the Holy Roman Empire and the subsequent Habsburg Empire. Despite the need for additional burial space, the Jewish community was only able to use this relatively small space for its burials. Out of necessity, this led the Jewish Community to create three distinct burial layers - one on top of another. The Gravestones from previous layers were than placed on the top layer, creating the unique densely packed burial ground.
Famous burials at the cemetery include the famed Rabbi and Kabbalist - the Maharal of Prague (known for the legend of the Golem), the Jewish historian and mystic David Fans, and Rabbi David Oppenheim. Today the cemetery is administered by the Jewish Museum of Prague.
