Jewish quarter

It is believed that Jewish people have been in Prague since the 11th century. Over the centuries, they suffered pogroms and were required to live in a walled ghetto. Yet the quarter survived reaching it's most prosperous in the late 16th century. The area was renamed Joseph's City after the emperor who emancipated the Jewish population with the Edict of Toleration.
In the 1st picture is a statue at one of the entrances to the quarter based on the work of Franz Kafka who lived here. The 2nd picture is the old town hall of the Jewish quarter. Note the clock with the Hebrew letters. Because Hebrew reads right to left, this clock works backwards.
The 3rd picture is of the High Synagogue, now a museum. The 4th picture gives an idea of what the area looks like now after numerous renewal efforts, not least attempts to remake Prague in the image of Paris.
The 5th picture is of the Old New synagogue (that's really the name), dating to the 13th century. This is the oldest operating synagogue in Europe.
The 6th picture is of the Jewish cemetery. Because they weren't allowed to leave the quarter, they quickly ran out of room for burials. Their solution was to build a vertical cemetery. Currently there are said to be 12 layers of burials built up over the centuries.Read more