Old Jewish Cemetery, Prague, Czech Republic

The Old Jewish Cemetery is in the Jewish Quarter of Prague.  It was in use from the early 15th century (the oldest preserved tombstone, the one of Avigdor Kara, dates back to 1439) until 1787. Its ancestor was a cemetery called "The Jewish Garden", which was found in archaeological excavations under the Vladislavova street. The numbers of grave stones and numbers of people buried there are uncertain, because there are layers of tombs. However, it has been estimated that there are approximately 12,000 tombstones presently visible, and there may be as many as 100,000 burials in all.

 According to halakah, Jews must not destroy Jewish graves and in particular it is not allowed to remove the tombstone. This meant that when the cemetery ran out of space and purchasing extra land was impossible, more layers of soil were placed on the existing graves, the old tombstones taken out and placed upon the new layer of soil. This explains why the tombstones in the cemetery are placed so closely to each other. This resulted in the cemetery having 12 layers of graves.

Czech Republic Unesco

Our very first Unesco postcard *squeeeeeeeeee!!!* Featuring World Heritage Sites in the Czech Republic. I haven't had a chance to research what they all are as of yet but as I do I will update this post.

Prague, Czech Republic

Prague is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic.  

According to legends, Prague was founded by Libuse and her husband, Premysl, founder of the dynasty of the same name. By the year 800 there was a simple fort fortified with wooden buildings.

 

Nymburk, Czech Republic

I adore this postcard!

Nymburk, Czech Republic. The top crest is the coat of arms of the region. The bottom is the coat of arms of the city of Nymburk. Surrounding the rest of the card are coats of arms of all the remaining towns in the region.

Czech Republic

Basilica of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Mariánska hora a hill above Levoca, Slovakia, with spectacular views over the town and countryside, is the location of the Basilica of theVisitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Slovak - Bazilika navštívenia Panny Márie), built between 1906 and 1922. The church contains an ancient statue of the Virgin which is the objective of pilgrimages.
A chapel has existed in this location since at least the 13th century. It is thought that the location was used as a refuge by townsfolk of Levoča during the Tatar invasions of the time; it may also have been attached to a hospital for sufferers from leprosy. The chapel was enlarged and rebuilt many times, including a Baroque church in 1766. However the increasing number of pilgrims visiting the site necessitated a larger structure. Pope John Paul II, at the request of the local bishop, upgraded the church to a Basilica Minor in 1984, and visited the site himself on July 3, 1995, when about 650,000 pilgrims gathered for the occasion. The annual pilgrimage, on or around 2 July (the Feast of the Visitation), still draws a very large number of participants.

Czech Republic Susice

The town was founded by the Czech king Ottokar_II_of_Bohemia in 1273. In 1683, a baroque chapel was built on what is now the edge of the town. This chapel still stands and is somewhat fortress-like in its appearance with its outer walls set in a square formation and the chapel located in the centre.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Czech Republic Rabi

Rabi Castle

Rabí or Rábí is ruined castle in Southwestern Bohemia, situated on a prominent hill by the central course of the River Otava, in the foothills of Sumava region, 130 km from Prague, Czech Republic. It is the largest castle (in terms of area) from all Czech castles. Its name might derive from the German word raben ("raven"), or it could be mangled Czech name vrab(č)í vrch ("sparrow's peak")^.
The Rabí Castle was proclaimed as National Cultural Monument in 1978.