Josefov (Prague)
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- See other places named Josefov.
Josefov (also Jewish quarter; Josephstadt in German) is a town quarter and smallest cadastral area of Prague, today Czech Republic, formerly the Jewish ghetto of the town. The quarter is often represented by the flag of Prague's Jewish community, a yellow Magen David (Star of David) on a red field.
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[edit] History
Jews are believed to have settled in Prague as early as the 10th century. The first pogrom was in 1096 (the first crusade) and eventually they were concentrated within a walled Ghetto. In 1262 Přemysl Otakar II issued a Statuta Judaeorum which granted the community a degree of self administration. In 1389 one of the worst pogroms saw over 3,000 massacred at Easter. The ghetto was most prosperous towards the end of the 16th century when the Jewish Mayor, Mordecai Maisel, became the Minister of Finance and a very wealthy man. His money helped develop the ghetto. Around this time Rabbi Low created the legendary Golem myth.
In 1850 the quarter was renamed "Josefstadt" (Joseph's City) after Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor who emacipated Jews with the Toleration Edict in 1781. Two years before Jews were allowed to settle outside of the city, so the share of the Jewish population in Josefov decreased, while only orthodox and poor Jews remained living there.
Most of the quarter was demolished between 1893 and 1913 as part of an initiative to model the city on Paris. What was left were only six synagogues, the old cemetery, and the Old Jewish Town Hall (now all part of the Jewish Museum and described below).
Currently Josefov is overbuild with building from beginning of 20th century, so it is difficult to appreciate exactly what the old quarter was like when it was reputed to have over 18,000 inhabitants.
[edit] Historical sites
- Franz Kafka's birthplace.
- High Synagogue (Vysoká synagoga): 16th century synagogue.
- Jewish Town Hall (Židovská radnice): 18th century rococo town hall.
- Klaus Synagogue (Klausova synagoga): 16th century baroque synagogue.
- Maisel Synagogue (Maiselova synagoga): 16th century synagogue destroyed by fire, now used as a museum.
- Pinkas Synagogue (Pinkasova synagoga): 16th century synagogue, now a memorial to Holocaust martyrs.
- Spanish Synagogue (Španělská synagoga): 19th century synagogue with Moorish interior.
- Old Jewish Cemetery (Starý židovský hřbitov): 15th-18th century cemetery. Europe's oldest surviving Jewish cemetery.
- Old New Synagogue (Staronová synagoga): 13th century Gothic synagogue.
- Jewish Ceremonial Hall, Prague (Obřadní síň): 20th century neo-renaissance hall.
[edit] Gallery
 Jewish Cemetery and surrounding buildings |
 The cemetery itself |
 The surrounding buildings |
 A few steps apart |
[edit] External links
| Districts of Prague |
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| Municipal/administrative districts |
| Prague 1 | Prague 2 | Prague 3 | Prague 4 | Prague 5 | Prague 6 | Prague 7 | Prague 8 | Prague 9 | Prague 10 | Prague 11 | Prague 12 | Prague 13 | Prague 14 | Prague 15 | Prague 16 (formerly Radotín) | Prague 17 (formerly Řepy) | Prague 18 (formerly Letňany) | Prague 19 (formerly Kbely) | Prague 20 (formerly Horní Počernice) | Prague 21 (formerly Újezd nad Lesy) | Prague 22 (formerly Uhříněves) |
| Other municipal districts |
| Běchovice | Benice | Březiněves | Čakovice | Ďablice | Dolní Chabry | Dolní Měcholupy | Dolní Počernice | Dubeč | Kbely | Klánovice | Koloděje | Kolovraty | Královice | Křeslice | Kunratice | Libuš | Lipence | Lochkov | Lysolaje | Nebušice | Nedvězí | Petrovice | Přední Kopanina | Řeporyje | Satalice | Slivenec | Suchdol | Šeberov | Štěrboholy | Troja | Újezd u Průhonic | Velká Chuchle | Vinoř | Zbraslav | Zličín |
| Cadastral areas |
| Běchovice | Benice | Bohnice | Braník | Břevnov | Březiněves | Bubeneč | Čakovice | Černý Most | Chodov | Cholupice | Čimice | Ďáblice | Dejvice | Dolní Chabry | Dolní Měcholupy | Dolní Počernice | Dubeč | Háje | Hájek | Hloubětín | Hlubočepy | Hodkovičky | Holešovice | Holyně | Horní Měcholupy | Horní Počernice | Hostavice | Hostivař | Hradčany | Hrdlořezy | Jinonice | Josefov (Jewish Quarter) | Kamýk | Karlín | Kbely | Klánovice | Kobylisy | Koloděje | Kolovraty | Komořany | Košíře | Královice | Krč | Křeslice | Kunratice | Kyje | Lahovice | Letňany | Lhotka | Libeň | Liboc | Libuš | Lipany | Lipence | Lochkov | Lysolaje | Malá Chuchle | Malá Strana (Lesser Town) | Malešice | Michle | Miškovice | Modřany | Motol | Nebušice | Nedvězí | Nové Město (New Town) | Nusle | Petrovice | Písnice | Pitkovice | Podolí | Přední Kopanina | Prosek | Radlice | Radotín | Řeporyje | Řepy | Ruzyně | Satalice | Sedlec | Slivenec | Smíchov | Sobín | Staré Město (Old Town) | Štěrboholy | Stodůlky | Strašnice | Střešovice | Střížkov | Suchdol | Točná | Třebonice | Třeboradice | Troja | Uhříněves | Újezd nad Lesy | Újezd u Průhonic | Veleslavín | Velká Chuchle | Vinohrady | Vinoř | Vokovice | Vršovice | Vyšehrad | Vysočany | Záběhlice | Zadní Kopanina | Zbraslav | Žižkov | Zličín |
