New Jewish cemetery in Libeň

The New Jewish Cemetery in Libeň is a small, disused burial ground in Prague's Libeň district, right on the border with Kobylisy. Only around 300 gravestones survive today across an area barely larger than a football pitch, yet for more than eighty years this was the main cemetery of the local Jewish community.

Where exactly is it located?

The cemetery lies in Prague 8, between Střelničná and Na Malém klínu streets, close to Davídkova Street, with the main entrance on Na Malém klínu. It sits in a quiet, residential corner of Libeň, well away from central Prague's usual tourist routes — a place visited mostly by people with a specific interest in the history of Prague's Jewish community rather than by casual sightseers.

Why was a new cemetery needed?

The cemetery was established in the 1890s — sources give either 1892 or 1893 — to replace an older Jewish cemetery in Libeň that could no longer keep up with the needs of the growing community. It originally covered 6,460 square meters. Part of the grounds was lost after the Second World War, leaving today's area at 4,184 square meters, less than two-thirds of its original extent.

What survives on site today?

The original ceremonial hall still stands, built in the Neo-Romanesque style. It no longer serves any religious function — the building has been converted into a hostel, an unusual but not unique example of former Jewish cemetery infrastructure in Prague finding a new use. The original entrance gate has also been preserved. Among the surviving gravestones, scattered across the grounds, are graves of members of the local Jewish community dating from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries.

The best-known person buried here is Vojtěch Rakous, a Czech-Jewish writer known for humorous prose depicting Jewish family life in the Czech countryside. Rakous ran a shoe business in Libeň, and his literary work is still regarded as one of the notable voices of Czech-Jewish literature from the turn of the century.

Is the cemetery still in use?

No. The last burial took place in 1975, and the site has not been used for burials since. It now functions purely as a place of historical and commemorative value, documenting the presence of a Jewish community in this part of Prague across nearly a century.

Why is it worth a visit?

The New Jewish Cemetery in Libeň is far less known than Prague's larger Jewish cemeteries closer to the city center, but that relative obscurity is exactly what has preserved its intimate, authentic character. It's a place for visitors who want to learn about Jewish Prague away from the well-trodden tourist paths — quiet and understated, yet still carrying traces of its former significance despite the loss of part of its grounds over time.

Frequently asked questions

When was the New Jewish Cemetery in Libeň founded? It was established in the 1890s, with sources citing either 1892 or 1893, to replace an older Jewish cemetery in the same district.

How many gravestones remain today? Around 300 gravestones survive on site, though the original number of burials was considerably higher.

Is the cemetery still active? No, the last burial took place in 1975, and the site now serves only a historical purpose.

Who is the most notable person buried here? The best-known burial is Vojtěch Rakous, a Czech-Jewish writer and author of humorous prose, who ran a shoe business in Libeň.

What happened to the original ceremonial hall? The Neo-Romanesque ceremonial hall survives but has been converted into a hostel and no longer serves its original purpose.