The Old Jewish Cemetery (Stary zidovsky hrbitov)

The Old Jewish Cemetery in Josefov, the Jewish Quarter, was created in the 15th century when Jews were forbidden to bury their dead outside their own district. Space was scarce, so bodies were buried on top of each other in an estimated 12 layers. Over the centuries, lopsided tombstones formed unruly, poetic groupings.

The surrealist author Franz Kafka enjoyed moments of quiet reflection in the old cemetery. However, his own grave lies across town in the New Jewish Cemetery. That burial ground is half empty because the generation it was built for was transported to Nazi death camps.

The entrance to the Old Jewish Cemetery is through the courtyard in front of the Pinkas Synagogue and the exit is near the door to the Klausen Synagogue. The cemetery opens at 9:00 a.m. and it is best to get there early since this is one of the biggest tourist attractions in Prague. Men are required to cover their heads before entering the cemetery. Any kind of head gear is fine, including baseball caps, and paper hats are provided for those with bare heads. If you want to visit the Old Cemetery, but not the synagogues, you can buy a single ticket, which is good only for admission to the cemetery, at any of the ticket booths located at the synagogues. No photography is allowed in any of the synagogues, but photographs of the cemetery are permitted.