Pinkasova synagoga

Eerie, somber yet striking landmark in the Jewish quarter that actually has more burials than tombstones which is crazy because you won’t believe how many there really are. Dating back to the 1400s with many notable people buried here. It’s haunting and amazing to visit and is an absolute must on your itinerary. It is attached to the Jewish museum which houses textiles, metals visual and photographic art. It’s very fascinating. Admission is only CZK300 which is about $ 12 so it’s inexpensive.

I feel odd rating a memorial and cemetery like this, but it is a visitor’s attraction, so I guess it makes sense.
The museum is just a short walk away from the Spanish Synagogue (which is the route we took the day we visited). You have to walk through a small courtyard — where there are one or two stalls set up for tourists — to get to the ticket booth before they’ll let you in to the memorial itself.
Note — men are required to cover their heads. They provide loaner yarmulkes at the gate, or they allow you to wear hats, scarves or hoodies. Just please don’t be that obnoxious ass who thinks you don’t have to observe their rules. It’s a sacred place, you can cover your head for the 45 minutes you’re inside.
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The memorial is powerful. It strikes you the second you walk through the doors, and see the walls absolutely covered with the names of the over 70,000 Nazi victims.
It may take a minute for your mind to process what it’s seeing — you go from white walls to walls that are covered with red and black ink. You stop to stare, then maybe you pick a point on a wall, and step up to take a closer look. You get there, and even though you’re closer and the text is clearer, it still takes another minute to digest — these are names of people who lived in the area. Their names are followed by the dates of birth and of their disappearance.
And the names continue. The text is small. The walls are covered. It’s astounding.
There are small plaques in front of each wall, so if you’re looking for a specific surname, you should be able to find it by following the signs. It’s overwhelming, and more often than not, you’ll see another tourist just kind of rooted in place, staring slack-​jawed at the thousands of names set out before them.
This part of the memorial continues on for two stories. Two stories of tiny, crammed names neatly inscribed on every wall in your sight. Upstairs is a small set of rooms full of children’s artwork. It’s cramped up there, but it’s absolutely a must-​see. It’s heartbreaking, seeing these relics of children victims.
Upon leaving the building, you take another small walk through a courtyard, which eventually leads you to the Jewish Cemetery, which is the oldest surviving Jewish cemetery in Europe. This, again, is breathtaking.
Tombstones tilt at every angle. Some of them have fallen over. Some are crumbling away. Most are covered by weeds and flowers and grass. And there are so many of them. They lean against each other, climb over and obscure each other. They’re at all different levels, some in better repair than others, some with mementos left by visitors over the years.
It’s a short walk through the entirety of the cemetery. Your gaze will capture every type of tombstone, in every stage of repair. You’ll see the notes under stones, the stones, and the coins. You can find a spot to stand and reflect, or you can walk slowly along, absorbing it all as you go.
Leaving the cemetery, you’re deposited into a side street that has access to two more stops on the museum ticket (assuming you purchased a combo).

EIGHTY THOUSAND… exterminated.
You will not leave from the memorial synagogue without reflecting upon this fact. Annihilated, perished, gone…
Artistic and powerful, the methods of display and memorial to those who never got to live a free life.

Now part of the Jewish Museum of Prague, the Pinkas Synagogue is a beautiful testament to the strength of community and the human heart. After Prague’s (and the whole region’s) Jewish community was decimated during the holocaust, this simple synagogue became a memorial to those who perished. While it’s no longer holding weekly services, the building holds the names of some 80,000 people who perished during the holocaust on its walls. Along with this moving tribute, there are other historical elements of Czech/​Moravian Judaica on display. Truly a powerful and beautiful place to visit.