New Jewish Cemetery

The New Jewish Cemetery in Prague's Žižkov district is the largest and still active Jewish burial ground in the city, and one of the most important memorial sites tied to the history of Prague's Jewish community. It was established in 1890 to relieve the Old Jewish Cemetery in Josefov, which after centuries of use had run out of space for new burials. Designed to hold roughly 100,000 graves, it was meant to serve the Jewish community for about a century.

Who designed the cemetery?

The layout and architecture of the cemetery were the work of architect František Schmoranz, who gave the site a character blending Art Nouveau with Neo-Romanesque elements. As a result, the New Jewish Cemetery is often described as an open-air gallery of funerary art — its avenues display tombstones ranging from Neo-Renaissance and Art Nouveau to Constructivism, created by leading Czech architects and sculptors of the era.

Why is the cemetery best known for Franz Kafka?

The cemetery draws literary pilgrims from around the world, above all because it is the final resting place of Franz Kafka, the Prague-born writer whose work reshaped 20th-century literature. His cubist gravestone was designed by architect Leopold Ehrmann in the form of a hexagonal crystal cut off at the base. Kafka's grave, shared with his parents, is marked with plot number 21-14-21. A memorial plaque set against the stone commemorates his sisters, all of whom perished in concentration camps during the Holocaust.

What other memorial sites can be found at the cemetery?

Besides Kafka's grave, the cemetery contains a 1985 Memorial to Czechoslovak Jews who perished in the Shoah and in the resistance, created by sculptor Zdeněk Vodička and architect Vladimír Stehlík. It serves as a focal point for visitors seeking traces of the tragic history of the Czech Jewish community during the Second World War.

Is the cemetery still used for burials?

Yes — the New Jewish Cemetery in Žižkov remains the main and practically only active Jewish cemetery in Prague. Alongside its historic sections dating from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, it also contains more recent burials, which sets it apart from the Old Jewish Cemetery, today preserved purely as a historic monument and tourist attraction.

Frequently asked questions

Where is Franz Kafka's grave located? Kafka's grave, shared with his parents, is located in the New Jewish Cemetery in Žižkov, marked with plot number 21-14-21, and is one of the main reasons tourists visit the site.

When was the New Jewish Cemetery established? The cemetery was founded in 1890, after the Old Jewish Cemetery in Josefov ran out of space for burials.

Who designed the cemetery and Kafka's tombstone? The cemetery's layout was designed by architect František Schmoranz, while Franz Kafka's cubist gravestone was created by architect Leopold Ehrmann.

Are there other important memorial sites in the cemetery? Yes, including the Memorial to Czechoslovak Jews who perished in the Holocaust and the resistance, created by Zdeněk Vodička and Vladimír Stehlík in 1985.

Is the cemetery still active today? Yes, it remains the main and practically only active Jewish cemetery in Prague.