Jewish Museum in Prague | Jewish Town Monuments

These monuments together with the Old-New Synagogue are collectively known as the 'Jewish Town Monuments'.

In order words, the 'Jewish Town Monuments' comprise the most significant historical sights in the Jewish Quarter in Prague.

They are also the best preserved complex of Jewish monuments in Europe.

HOW TO VISIT JEWISH TOWN MONUMENTS

There is no charge to visit the Jewish Quarter, to wander around its streets. But to enter any of the historical monuments requires a Jewish Town Ticket.

You can buy a self-guided Jewish Town Ticket on the day of your visit at the Jewish Museum In Prague Information Centre at Maiselova 15.

Alternatively, we highly recommend booking the Jewish Quarter Tour, which is led by a certified guide of the Jewish Museum in Prague.

With such a turbulent history, and so many traditions and legends attached to the area, it is difficult to overstate how much a guide can bring to your understanding of it all.

Note: The specialist guides are limited. If you wish to take the Jewish Quarter Tour, it is essential that you book in advance.

JEWISH MUSEUM IN PRAGUE MONUMENTS

Maisel Synagogue
Founded in 1592, Maisel Synagogue exhibits a cross-section of the history of Jews in the Bohemian Lands, from the early Jewish communities of the 10th century through to their emancipation in the 18th century.

Spanish Synagogue
The Spanish Synagogue is often described as the most beautiful synagogue in Europe. The exhibition inside follows on chronologically from the displays at Maisel Synagogue. It details the history of Jews in the Bohemian Lands in the 19th and 20th centuries (a momentous period for Jews in Prague).

Pinkas Synagogue
Dating from 1535, Pinkas Synagogue is the work of the Horowitz family. After the Second World War, the synagogue was turned into a Memorial to the Jews of Bohemia and Moravia murdered by the Nazis. On its walls are inscribed the names of the Jewish victims, their personal data, and the names of the communities to which they belonged. There are 80,000 names.

Old Jewish Cemetery
Founded in the 15th century, the Old Jewish Cemetery is among the oldest surviving Jewish burial grounds in the world, and is one of the most important historical monuments in the Jewish Quarter in Prague.

Klausen Synagogue
(closed for renovation)
Located at the entrance to the Old Jewish Cemetery, the Klausen Synagogue was the largest synagogue in the Jewish ghetto and the seat of the Prague Burial Society. It houses a permanent exhibition entitled 'Jewish Customs and Traditions'.

Robert Guttmann Gallery
(closed for renovation)
The gallery, named after the Prague painter Robert Guttmann (1880-1942), hosts temporary exhibitions focusing on Jewish life, the persecution of Bohemian and Moravian Jews during the Second World War, Jewish monuments in Czechia, and the Jewish presence in contemporary visual art.

Ceremonial Hall
(closed for renovation)
The Ceremonial Hall of the Prague Burial Society was built in the Neo-Romanesque style in 1906–08. It houses the second part of the exhibition 'Jewish Customs and Traditions', in particular focusing on the customs and ceremonies associated with death and burial.

OLD-NEW SYNAGOGUE

The Old-New Synagogue is the oldest monument in the Jewish Quarter in Prague, and the oldest active synagogue in Europe.

HISTORY OF JEWISH MUSEUM IN PRAGUE

The Jewish Museum in Prague was established in 1906, with the aim to preserve valuable artifacts from Prague synagogues and other historical buildings demolished in the partial redevelopment of the Jewish Quarter at the turn of the 20th century.

Following the Nazi invasion of 1939, the museum was abolished. But it was subsequently re-established by the Prague Jewish community in 1942, with Nazi approval, with the aim to preserve Jewish heritage. It was renamed the Central Jewish Museum, and became a shelter for the remainder of World War II for liturgical objects, books and archival documents from the defunct Jewish communities.

In 1950, the communist state took control and severely restricted its research and preservation work, and limited the extent of its displays.

On 1st October 1994, the Jewish Museum in Prague became an independent organisation once more. Soon after, it initiated a programme of restoration of the monuments under its care, which is on-going.

In addition to the Jewish Quarter Tour, the following Prague tours also include a visit to the Jewish Quarter in their itinerary:

Old Town & Jewish Quarter Tour
Historical Centre Tour
Historical Centre & Castle Tour + Boat Trip
Prague Explorer Tour + Boat Trip
Prague City & Castle Tour + Boat Trip.