Old Jewish Cemetery

Top choice in Staré Město

LoginSave

The Old Jewish Cemetery is Europe’s oldest surviving Jewish graveyard. Founded in the early 15th century, it has a palpable atmosphere of mourning even after more than two centuries of disuse (it was closed in 1787). Around 12,000 crumbling stones (some brought from other, long-gone cemeteries) are heaped together, but beneath them are perhaps as many as 100,000 graves, piled in layers because of the lack of space.

However, remember that this is one of Prague’s most popular sights, so if you’re hoping to have a moment of quiet contemplation you’ll probably be disappointed.

Transportation

  • metro: Staroměstská

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • Apple Museum

    Apple Museum

    0.25 MILES

    This shrine to all things Apple claims to be the world's biggest private collection of Apple products, with at least one of everything made by the company…

  • Facade of Jewish Ceremonial Hall in Prague, Czech Republic; Shutterstock ID 95823832; Your name (First / Last): Josh Vogel; GL account no.: 56530; Netsuite department name: Online Design; Full Product or Project name including edition: Sights

    Prague Jewish Museum

    0.05 MILES

    This museum consists of six Jewish monuments clustered together in Josefov: the Maisel Synagogue; the Pinkas Synagogue; the Spanish Synagogue; the Klaus…

  • The Gothic towers of Prague's St Vitus's Cathedral. The cathedral is the largest and the most important church in the city.

    St Vitus Cathedral

    0.74 MILES

    Built over a time span of almost 600 years, St Vitus is one of the most richly endowed cathedrals in central Europe. It is pivotal to the religious and…

  • Charles bridge looking towards the Old Town Sq.

    Charles Bridge

    0.38 MILES

    Strolling across Charles Bridge is everybody’s favourite Prague activity. However, by 9am it’s a 500m-long fairground, with an army of tourists squeezing…

  • Globes and bookshelves in Theology Hall, Strahov Monastery.

    Strahov Library

    1.29 MILES

    Strahov Library is the largest monastic library in the country, with two magnificent baroque halls dating from the 17th and 18th centuries. You can peek…

  • Municipal House

    Municipal House

    0.5 MILES

    Prague’s most exuberantly art-nouveau building is a labour of love, with every detail of its design and decoration carefully considered, and every…

  • Natiuonal Vitkov Monument in Prague; Shutterstock ID 594225362; Your name (First / Last): Gemma Graham; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial; Full Product or Project name including edition: POI update for Prague destination page

    National Monument

    1.47 MILES

    While this monument's massive functionalist structure has all the elegance of a nuclear power station, the interior is a spectacular extravaganza of…

  • Baroque building facades, Wenceslas Square.

    Wenceslas Square

    0.72 MILES

    More a broad boulevard than a typical European city square, Wenceslas Square has witnessed a great deal of Czech history – a giant Mass was held here…

View more attractions

Nearby Staré Město attractions

1. Klaus Synagogue

0.02 MILES

The Klaus Synagogue houses a good exhibit on Jewish ceremonies of birth and death, worship and special holy days.

2. Ceremonial Hall

0.03 MILES

Built in 1912, the Ceremonial Hall was formerly the mortuary for the Old Jewish Cemetery, and is now the site of an interesting exhibition on Jewish…

3. Pinkas Synagogue

0.03 MILES

The handsome Pinkas Synagogue was built in 1535 and used for worship until 1941. After WWII it was converted into a memorial, with wall after wall…

4. Museum of Decorative Arts

0.04 MILES

This museum opened in 1900 as part of a European movement to encourage a return to the aesthetic values sacrificed to the Industrial Revolution. Once a…

5. Prague Jewish Museum

0.05 MILES

This museum consists of six Jewish monuments clustered together in Josefov: the Maisel Synagogue; the Pinkas Synagogue; the Spanish Synagogue; the Klaus…

6. Jewish Town Hall

0.05 MILES

The town hall was built by Jewish ghetto mayor Mordechai Maisel in 1586. It's worth noting for its clock tower, which has one Hebrew face where the hands…

7. High Synagogue

0.06 MILES

The elegant 16th-century High Synagogue is so called because its prayer hall (closed to the public) is upstairs.

8. Old-New Synagogue

0.07 MILES

Completed around 1270, this is Europe’s oldest working synagogue and one of Prague’s earliest Gothic buildings. You step down into it because it pre-dates…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting: 
    {
  "url": "czech-republic/prague/stare-mesto/attractions/old-jewish-cemetery/a/poi-sig/401319/1323269",
  "destination": "Staré-Město",
  "continent": "Europe",
  "country": "Czechia",
  "city": "Prague",
  "neighborhood": "Staré-Město",
  "position": "superzone"
}