Last Day of Touring in Prague

We visited the Strahovsky Monastery which dates back to the 1100's.  It is a huge house full of treasures.  Most impressive is the "public library" which is the oldest (1679) privately held library in the world.  It is public because despite the value of the library and its books, any citizen can have access to the books for research. The fresco on the ceiling is pretty much a painting of the history of the world.

Spectacular.

Next, we toured the Jewish area with four fantastic synagogues from different eras.  The Old-New Synagogue is the oldest landmark of the Jewish part of town and is one of the oldest surviving synagogues in Europe.  It was built in the 13th Century and it is a testament to the important status of the Jewish Community of Prague in the 1200s.    The synagogue is the subject of many legends.  For example, legend has it that the stones in the synagogue were brought to the site from Jerusalem by angels.  Another legend is that the attic of the synagogue is home of the remains of the Golem, the legendary creature made of clay that protected the Prague Jewish Community.  We were not allowed to take pictures.

I know, I have written about a lot of cemeteries on this trip.  However, The Jewish cemetery of Prague is something very special.  It dates back to the middle of the 1500s and was in use till the late 1700s.  80,000 Jews were buried here - on top of each other.  Soil was continously added to the top. 12,000 gravestones still exist.  The oldest gravestone dates back to 1439!  It is an extraordinary place.  Maybe the pictures will convey the sanctity of this place:

These plaques are being placed in the sidewalk, in front of homes in the Jewish quarter where people who died in the Holocaust lived:

We wrapped up the day with a walk across the scenic Charles Bridge.

And.. a farewell dinner at the Lobowicz Palace (long story about the Lobowiczes).  I was there too but someone had to take the picture.