No, the Other Jewish Quarter We left the Slav Epic exhibition at the Municipal House as a group and found snacks to eat. While sharing what plans we each had for the rest of our day, I was interested in the Jewish Quarter. Many had visited to explore beyond the surface level introduction we received with our first day tour. So I set out for the Metro subway based on general direction and my trusted CityMaps2Go offline app. About a minute into my subway ride I realized the final destination that indicated the direction in which the train was traveling did not match the stop I had in mind. Those darn Czesky and other "Cz" words are very easy to confuse. I decided to hop off at the next stop and then determine which way to go. When I came out of the Metro escalator and looked around, I saw a distinctive tram stop and added it to my "tram stop" list in CityMaps2 Go so I could find my way back. Creating lists within the app was a virtual breadcrumb trail that allowed me to retrace my steps or coordinate intersecting tram and/or bus stops so I could hop along numbers towards my goal of the day. My plan was to walk around the block and then try to head back to my original Jewish Quarter plan or back to the hotel, depending on how well my feet endured the cobblestones. They will wear you out! What happened instead was serendipitous and much like my other solo excursions into unknown territory: I found interesting things that I would not have stumbled upon otherwise. I had many stumble-upon adventures during our visit, but this was my favorite. I had unintentionally walked up to "the second most significant Jewish Quarter in Prague" (Municipal District of Prague 8, 2012-2017). According to two websites (Municipal District of Prague 8 and Prague City Tourism), the Jewish were settled here in the last part of the 16th Century and expanded well into the 18th Century when Maria Theresa expelled Jewish from inside Prague. The monument to the left caught my eye, as did the homeless people parked in front of the synagogue steps. A synagogue surrounded by overgrown grass climbing toward the barred and empty windows. It was lifeless. I only had questions as I wandered toward the back of the abandoned lot. I still don't know what the symbolism of the monument is, but the date May 9, 1945 was surely significant in this World War II-enriched historical country. I figured I could take to the internet later for research. I learned that the original Libeň Synagogue (1592) was rebuilt in 1770 after two hundred years of use. Let that digest for a moment. It fell victim to frequent flooding. I'll pause here for the biblical irony. A severe flood in 1845 had official considering its demolition but original stones were used in its resurrection in 1846. "During the Second World War the Jews in Libeň were gradually deported to concentration camps. In 1941 the Libeň Synagogue was shut down and converted to a warehouse storing confiscated Jewish property just as all other synagogues in the Czech Republic. After the war the decimated Jewish community was never revived in Libeň." (Municipal District of Prague 8, 2012-2017). Supposedly, after the war the building was used a prop warehouse for a theatre down the road and then became available for special events, although this website hasn't been updated in a year and again, from the overgrown grass, I doubt it's actual in use. While I had intended to explore the Jewish Quarter near Old Town, I had no idea that one wrong Metro stop would lead me here. That's an interesting mural I continued around the synagogue, mouth becoming dry from the heat and the salt-laden food over the past several days. I found a Billa supermarket and bought a bottle of water for 9 crowns - a steal. I looked at my map and decided to take more turn around the corner before returning to my breadcrumb tram stop. What I found up the hill was another incredible stumble-upon.
So there was a man. He had many cats. He lived on this street for a time. He read. He wrote. His name was Bohumil Hrabal, but I would not know this until I set my Google skills to work back at the hotel hours later. For now, I had to walk past a parking lot attendant and in between cars to take it all in. Photos cannot do it justice, you have to visit Prague 8 for yourself to see the magnitude of this homage by Taťana Svtošová. Once I had a title of the art work, then I could find Hrabal and a wikipedia page with so many more details of a rich life. Prague 8 appears to be changing (see my photo album and the top-dollar high rises being marketed in English juxtaposed with older buildings) and I hope this wall will remain a prize for this area. The metro certainly isn't going anywhere, so there should be no fear of this facade being torn down, like Hrabal's home was. I'm compelled now to find some English translations of his work, for curiosity's sake. A man of books, with so many cats, and an entire subway wall dedicated to his presence on the street has to be worth reading. I think I found the topic of my future documentary. All because I stumbled upon the "wrong" Jewish Quarter on a July afternoon in Prague. - TM
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