Headstones akimbo, Mobile photography picture of gravestones
Old Prague’s Jewish ghetto (or Jewish quarter of Josefov) remains one of the city’s most worthwhile sites to visit.
The Exterior Prague’s Jewish Cemetery (mobile photography)
Prague’s Old Jewish Cemetery , located in the Jewish ghetto of Josefov, was used from 1439 to 1787. With it’s headstones akimbo, the cemetery remains a moody and beautiful place for a stroll. It’s an impressive site in a very compact space. Some 100,000 graves are said to be here, sometimes stacked 12 deep, with the uneven earth and layering causing the headstones to buckle, shift and slant.
Morning light on headstones at Prague’s Jewish Cemetery, Mobile photography
It was here, in 1580 or so legend has it, that the Golem, a famous undead shapeless mass of clay was brought to life to protect the Jewish community. Like all things undead brought back to life, the Golem ran amok. The Golem story has gone on to inspire characters in the X-Files as well as the character in J.R.R. Toklien’s Lord of the Rings.
Pathway through the Old Jewish Cemetery in Prague
Mythic creatures or not, Prague’s Old Jewish cemetery is well worth checking out. It’s very centrally located in Old Town, and If you want to take pictures, be sure you pay the photo fee when you buy your ticket. The photo fee is enforced, and without a lot of charm.
Mobile photography graveyard photos, including the Lion of Judah on a headstone, and piles of rocks gathered as tokens of remembrance of vistors.
Open 9 am- 4:30 pm except Saturdays and Holidays
Photo Tip: For the best light and photos, try to get to the cemetery when the gates first open, as it is a popular site in Jewish Prague and gets very crowded later in the day, making it more difficult to photograph the beautiful old graveyard.