Multilayered Jewish Cemetery in Prague
In the past, when the cemetery was running out of space and there was nowhere to expand, a new cemetery was created by applying earth to old graves. This is exactly what happened all the time at the old cemetery in the Jewish quarter of Prague. Not once, not twice, but all twelve!
This cemetery is one of the oldest preserved Jewish burial sites in the world. It was founded at the beginning of the XV century, the oldest grave dates back to 1439. The last burial was made in 1787. Approximately 350 years have passed between these two burials, and more than 100 thousand people were buried in the cemetery — on top of each other, and so twelve layers.
In those days , the Jews in Prague was allowed to be buried only in the Jewish quarter of Josefov. The cemetery was expanded several times, but there was still not enough space. The Jewish faith forbids moving gravestones, and layers of earth were applied to existing graves, and old gravestones were dug out and placed on a new layer of soil. Today there are about 12 thousand graves there.
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