Jewish Museum

The Jewish Museum in Prague, located in the heart of the Josefov district, is one of the city’s most significant cultural institutions, as well as one of the oldest Jewish museums in Europe. Founded in 1906 by Salomon Hugo Lieben and August Stein, the museum was initially created to preserve and document the history and traditions of the Jewish community in Bohemia and Moravia, collecting artifacts from synagogues demolished during the redevelopment of the Prague Jewish quarter. The museum’s history is closely intertwined with the tragic events of the 20th century. During World War II, the museum was closed and reopened under the supervision of the Nazi authorities, who intended to turn it into a “Museum of an extinct race.” Paradoxically, this propaganda project allowed many valuable objects and documents to be saved from Nazi occupation, thanks to the efforts of art historians and museum curators who managed to protect them. After the war, in 1945, the museum reopened under the guidance of Hana Volavková, becoming an important center for documenting the Holocaust. However, with the communist coup in 1948, the museum was nationalized and became the State Jewish Museum. During the communist regime, the museum’s activities were heavily controlled and limited, with many exhibitions censored or banned. Only after the Velvet Revolution of 1989, which led to the fall of the communist regime, was the museum returned to the Jewish community of Prague and fully resumed its cultural and educational activities. Today, the Jewish Museum in Prague includes several historic sites, each with its own specificity and importance. Among these, the Maisel Synagogue, which houses a permanent exhibition on the history of Jews in Bohemian territories from the 10th to the 18th century, and the Pinkas Synagogue, which serves as a memorial for the victims of the Holocaust in Bohemia and Moravia, with the names of over 77,000 victims written on the interior walls. Another key stop is the Old Jewish Cemetery, one of the oldest and best-preserved Jewish cemeteries in the world, where illustrious figures such as Rabbi Loew, known for the legend of the Golem, are buried. The Spanish Synagogue, built in 1868 on the site of Prague’s oldest synagogue, is another gem of the museum, famous for its richly decorated Moorish-style interior and for housing a collection of liturgical silverware and precious fabrics. The Klausen Synagogue and the Ceremonial Hall are two other important venues, presenting exhibitions on Jewish traditions and customs and the history of the Prague Jewish community. One of the most touching anecdotes related to the museum is the collection of drawings by children from the Terezín ghetto, exhibited in the Pinkas Synagogue. These drawings, made under the guidance of artist Friedl Dicker-Brandeis, offer a poignant glimpse into the innocence and creativity of children even in conditions of extreme suffering. The Jewish Museum in Prague also publishes an academic journal, “Judaica Bohemiae,” which since 1965 has contributed to research and dissemination of Jewish history and culture in Bohemia, Moravia, and beyond. This commitment to research and preservation makes the museum a reference point not only for the Jewish community but also for scholars and visitors from around the world interested in Jewish history and culture.