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Description
Formerly the Jewish ghetto of the town
The Jewish Quarter (Josefov) is surrounded by the Old Town, and it is also the smallest cadastral area of the city. It is believed that the quarter has its origins in the 10th century, when the first Jews came here. After the first pogrom (1096) the Jews were concentrated within a walled Ghetto.
In 1262 Přemysl Otakar II granted the community a degree of self administration, but in 1389 one of the worst pogroms followed, and about 1,500 Jews were massacred at Easter Sunday. Only in 1850 was the ghetto named Jewish Quarter (Josefov), in honor of Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II, who emancipated Jews with the Toleration Edict in 1781.
The Jewish Quarter (Josefov) is surrounded by the Old Town, and it is also the smallest cadastral area of the city. It is believed that the quarter has its origins in the 10th century, when the first Jews came here. After the first pogrom (1096) the Jews were concentrated within a walled Ghetto.
In 1262 Přemysl Otakar II granted the community a degree of self administration, but in 1389 one of the worst pogroms followed, and about 1,500 Jews were massacred at Easter Sunday. Only in 1850 was the ghetto named Jewish Quarter (Josefov), in honor of Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II, who emancipated Jews with the Toleration Edict in 1781.