The Czech Republic - Eastern Europe - page 240

4:30pm. The package costs 500K c ($20/£10) for adults and 340K c ($14/£7) for stu-
dents, free for children under 6.
The Maisel Synagogue now serves as the exhibition space for the Jewish Museum.
In October 1994, the State Jewish Museum closed; the Torah covers, 100,000 books,
and other exhibits once housed there were given to the Jewish community, who then
proceeded to return many items to synagogues throughout the country. The Nazis
destroyed much of Prague's ancient Judaica during World War II. Ironically, those
same Germans constructed an “exotic museum of an extinct race,” thus salvaging
thousands of objects, such as the valued Torah covers, books, and silver now displayed
at the Maisel Synagogue.
Old Jewish Cemetery (Star;zidovsk; hrbitov) Just 1 block from the Old-
New Synagogue, this is one of Europe's oldest Jewish burial grounds, dating from the
mid-15th century. Because the local government of the time didn't allow Jews to bury
their dead elsewhere, graves were dug deep enough to hold 12 bodies vertically, with
each tombstone placed in front of the last. The result is one of the world's most
crowded cemeteries: a 1-block area filled with more than 20,000 graves. Among the
most famous persons buried here are the celebrated Rabbi Loew (Löw; d. 1609), who
created the legend of Golem (a giant clay “monster” to protect Prague's Jews); and
banker Markus Mordechai Maisel (d. 1601), then the richest man in Prague and pro-
tector of the city's Jewish community during the reign of Rudolf II.
U Starého hrbitova; the entrance is from Siroká 3. & 222-317-191. Admission 300Kc ($12/£6) adults, 200Kc
($8.30/£4) students, free for children under 6. Apr-Oct Sun-Fri 9am-6pm; Nov-Mar Sun-Fri 9am-4:30pm. Metro:
Line A to Staromêstská.
Old-New Synagogue (Staronová synagóga) First called the New Synagogue
to distinguish it from an even older one that no longer exists, the Old-New Synagogue,
built around 1270, is Europe's oldest remaining Jewish house of worship. The faith-
ful have prayed here continuously for more than 700 years, carrying on even after a
massive 1389 pogrom in Josefov that killed over 3,000 Jews. Its use as a house of wor-
ship was interrupted only between 1941 and 1945 because of the Nazi occupation.
The synagogue is also one of Prague's great Gothic buildings, built with vaulted ceil-
ings and retro-fitted with Renaissance-era columns. It is not part of the Jewish Museum,
so you can visit this synagogue separately.
Cervená 2. & 222-317-191. Admission 200Kc ($8.30/£4) adults, 140Kc ($5.85/£3) students. (If part of the package
for Jewish Museum, 500Kc/$20/£12 adults, 340Kc/$14/£7.90 students.) Free for children under 6. Sun-Thurs
9:30am-5pm; Fri 9am-4pm. Metro: Line A to Staromêstská
MUSEUMS & GALLERIES
Many fine private art galleries showing contemporary work by Czech and other artists
are in central Prague, within walking distance of Starom ê stské nám ê stí. Although their
primary interest is sales, most welcome browsing.
As for public museums and galleries, note that many museums are closed on
Monday.
National Gallery Sites
The national collection of fine art is grouped for display in the series of venues known
collectively as the National Gallery (Národní Galerie). Remember that this term
refers to several locations, not just one gallery.