It was our last day to explore and we chose the walk on GPS My City for the Jewish Quarter. Looking out the window, the weather had turned on us again. It wasn't terribly cold but it was gray and it had rained, the streets were wet.
We took our time at breakfast since we knew the walk would not take the whole day. Eventually we started out for our first stop which was about fifteen minutes away and again toward Old Town. Little did we know until we reached the Spanish Synagogue that it was a special holiday and all the museums and synagogues would be closed to viewing.
The buildings were still unique and wonderful to see even from just the outside. The current Spanish Synagogue was finished in 1868 and was built on the site of the oldest synagogue in Prague. The origin of its name is a mystery as it never served a Spanish community.
The Jewish Quarter had its own town hall and the High Synagogue was built next to it. The name High Synagogue refers to the location of the main prayer hall high in the upper floors of the building.
Another strange name is the Old-New Synagogue. It is Europe's oldest synagogue still in regular use. It was built in the 13th century. It got its name after newer synagogues were built around it. It was new but now had become the old new synagogue. A bit of lore is attached to this one. It was said there lived a clay guardian, the Golem, brought to life by a rabbi in the late 1500s. But like many creatures, it began to spiral out of control and the rabbi had to "deactivate" it. It is said to still reside in the attic.
We passed the Old Jewish Cemetery several times but there was no entry. I also noted a heavier police presence in this part of town and figured it was due to the holiday and the trouble that most of the world seems to have dealing with anti-Semitism.
The Ceremonial Hall sits next to the cemetery and in its day was used by the Jewish Burial Society. Inside was a morgue and places for ritual purification. This building was closed for renovation and not scheduled to reopen until 2026. Perhaps that when lucky Bob who touched the brass plaque on the Charles Bridge will return.
We stopped to see a few other synagogues in the area and then ended up at Jan Palach Square. With a little extra googling, we discovered that Jan Palach was a philosophy student at the university that borders the square. It was in this spot however that Palach in 1969 took his own life by setting himself on fire in protest of the Soviet led invasion of Czechoslovakia. In 1989 when Communism lost its hold on many of the eastern European countries, the name of the square was changed from Square of the Red Army to the Jan Plach Square.
Our tour was done by 11:15 and we found ourselves wondering what to do next. Bob wanted to see the Astronomical Clock one more time so we went to the Old Town Hall. There was a nice little outdoor cafe that had heated seating and we found a spot perfect for viewing the clock and ordered some cappuccinos along with "tapas" which was actually a meat and cheese plate with bread. Tasty. We got to watch the clock with no one crowding in front of us. The rooster still didn't flap his wings though.
The one question it did not answer for me however was the history of the city during the time my grandfather was there. Nothing was recorded from the mid 1700s to WWII. Guess I have some studying to do. I thought I would get some answers in the touring we did but it's like those years did not exist.
Bob walked me back to the hotel and then decided to do a little more on his own. I already had chalked up four plus miles and I didn't think I wanted to push it any farther. There are some joints and muscles that just are too old for me. I spent a few hours catching up on my posts. This one will actually post after we are home and I'm recuperating from a very busy time. A good time. More pins to put in our world travel map. It's still a big world out there though. Where next?
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