Old Jewish Cemetery, Prague

This cemetery, among Europe's largest of its kind, presents an unforgettable sight, serving as the final resting place for all Jews residing in Prague from the 15th century to 1787. Due to space constraints in the cramped ghetto, graves were stacked atop one another, resulting in an arrangement where the 12,000 visible tombstones represent only a fraction of the thousands more buried beneath.

Initially simple, the gravestones soon evolved with ornamental additions like pilasters, volutes, and false portals, with the most elaborate designs emerging in the 17th century. Despite variations in decoration, each tombstone bears Hebrew inscriptions detailing the deceased's name and date of death or burial. During the Renaissance, effusive praise of the individual's virtues accompanied the brief eulogies, while symbols hinting at the deceased's life, character, name, or profession became prevalent from the 16th century onward.

Among the notable graves, Avigdor Kara, a poet who passed away in 1439, occupies the oldest marked plot, with his original tombstone housed in the Maisel Synagogue. Another prominent figure interred here is Jehuda ben Bezalel, known as Rabbi Löw, who died in 1609. As a revered chief rabbi of Prague and a scholar credited with the creation of the mythical golem, small scraps of paper containing wishes are still inserted into the crevices of his tomb, hopeful for their fulfillment.