This is the Pinkas Synagogue in Prague. It's the second oldest synagogue in the Jewish section of the city.
The building is best known as a memorial for the 78,000 victims of Nazi genocide who were from Bohemia and Moravia. Walk from room to room in this haunting building, and the names keep coming. And every single one is a person. The effect is staggering.
The "exhibit" was opened to the public in 1960, but closed by the Communists after the 1968 crackdown on the country. The building was reopened in 1995 as a memorial, and suffered some damage in the 2002 flood.
One room is dedicated to the art work of the children of Terezin, Families were "processed" here before going east to death camps. Quite touching.
When visitors have gone through the building, they can walk on the adjoining Jewish cemetery. The tombstones (which are dated from the 14th century to 1787) are stacked up because the Jews were not allowed to add land for this purpose. Therefore, they had to throw dirt on the grounds and stack them up. There are 12 layers in some parts of the cemetery. It is crowded.
This is what it all looked like on Holocaust Remembrance Day in January, 2015.
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