Prague, Czech Republic

Day 7: Prague | Synagogues and Remembrance   This morning, we embarked on a walking tour of Josefov, the city’s Jewish Quarter, which remained a walled ghetto until 1848. We walked by the birthplace of Franz Kafka (part of the State Jewish Museum complex). Best known for his existentialist novel The Metamorphosis, Kafka is widely considered one of the most influential writers of the 20th century. We walked by the Pinka Synagogue and the Spanish Synagogue. We visited the Old Jewish Cemetery, site of 12,000 graves, and the Old-New Synagogue, Europe’s oldest active synagogue, completed in 1270.  We also walked through Wenceslaus square. There are street vendors speckled along the fringe of the Square. I inquired about the circular pastries being cooked over an open fire pit on thick round metal rods. It is a local specialty called Trdelnik. Gabe purchased a couple of them for all of us to enjoy. It’s like a yummy version of cinnamon sugar bread. Christian was craving a burger and fries so we had lunch at Meet Burger in Old Town. We had a delicious burger and fries. Old town is a bustling crowded area with the aroma of smoke from the fire pits wafting about in the air. Thankfully, today has been a dry and occasionally sunny day. So nice not to have rain! After lunch we had a private tour of the Estates Theater with our theater guide, Marquetta, and enjoyed a glass of Champagne and a lovely private mini concert by a Quintet. Built in 1783, this theater represents one of the finest examples of Neo-Classical architecture in Prague. Itt was in this theater in October of 1787, that Mozart conducted the première of Don Giovanni. The only music played in the theater are Mozart pieces. We visited the Manto gallery and met the artist, Antoni Manto and had a private tour of his collection. He has some amazing blown glass pieces. Dinner on own…..the group got together and decided to go to Kampa Park for dinner tonight. Four Seasons Hotel Prague | Meals: B JEWISH QUARTER (JOSEV) The Jewish Quarter in Prague, known as Josefov, is located between the Old Town Square and the Vltava River. Its torrid history dates from the 13th century, when Jewish people were ordered to vacate their disparate homes and settle in this one area. Over the centuries, with Jews banned from living anywhere else in Prague, and with new arrivals expelled from Moravia, Germany, Austria and Spain joining them, more and more people were crowded in. To add to this, inhabitants of the Jewish Quarter, or the Prague Jewish Ghetto as it also became known, were forced to endure structural changes. The latest took place between 1893-1913, when most houses were flattened and the layout of many of the streets remodelled. Fortunately, most of the significant historical buildings were saved from destruction, and today they remain a testimony to the history of the Jews in Prague. They form the best preserved complex of historical Jewish monuments in the whole of Europe. There are six synagogues, including the famous Spanish Synagogue and Old-New Synagogue, plus the Jewish Ceremonial Hall and the Old Jewish Cemetery, the most remarkable of its kind in Europe. The monuments even survived the Nazi occupation in the 20th century. Adolf Hitler himself decided to preserve the Jewish Quarter as a “Museum of an Extinct Race”. Indeed the Nazis gathered Jewish artefacts from other occupied countries, transporting them to Prague to form part of the museum. Today, these historical sights, all except the Old-New Synagogue, form what is called the Jewish Museum in Prague. The Old-New Synagogue is the oldest preserved synagogue in Central Europe, built in early Gothic style in the 13th century, and is the main house of prayer for the Jewish community in the present day. Interestingly, the Jewish Quarter is also the birthplace of the celebrated writer Franz Kafka, who is commemorated with a statue on Dusni Street. ESTATES THEATER The theatre was built by a liberal aristocrat, count František Antonín Nostic-Rieneck on his own Prague land plot with an approval of Emperor Joseph II. The foundation stone was laid on the 7th June 1781. When digging the foundations, a small container was found with several silver coins, which was considered as a good sign. The building was realized in a Classicist style. Count Nostic national theatre was festively opened on the 21st April 1783 with Lessing’s play Emilia Galotti. The theatre’s history is inseparably bound with the name of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who conducted his Marriage of Figaro in 1787. On the 29th October 1787, world premiere of the opera Don Giovanni was held here, which Mozart dedicated to the people of Prague. In the following years, other operas of Mozart were staged here. In December 1828, famous violin virtuoso Paganini had six concerts in the theatre. The building’s interior decorations were originally designed by Jan Jakub Quirin Jahn; the curtain was made by Josef Bergler in 1804. The first modifications of the building were realized in 1859, others followed in 1881 – 82. The cast-iron galleries were removed in the years 1890 – 92 for safety reasons. Modern reconstruction took place in the years 1973 – 1974, and the last general reconstruction in 1983 – 1991. The original foundations of the building were reinforced, the enclosure walls were strengthened, the paintings on the auditorium and forestage ceilings were restored; the balcony parapets revealed surprising decorations made of paper-mache, used probably due to its light weight, as the auditorium’s enclosure walls are mostly made of wood and also the dome supporting the ceiling is made of wood. It was recommended not to replace any materials in order to preserve the excellent acoustics. A copy of the original chandelier from 1874 was made and installed, which was partially powered by gas. There are 148 light bulbs on the new chandelier, which weighs approx. 800 kg. After the reconstruction, there are 659 seating places and 20 – 40 standing places available in the Estates Theatre. MANTO GALLERY A mere 20 minutes from the busy center of Prague, experiences for all five senses await you. Let yourself be enchanted and inspired by the idyllic environment of the historic Manto Manor, where the artist Antonin Manto-Mrnka lives and works. Located at the Manto Manor you will find the Manto Living Gallery, here you can meet the creations of Antonin Manto-Mrnka. These creations come in all shapes and sizes, and are made from local Czech iron, glass, porcelain, and wood. Works include The Glass Boat, ……