5 Of The Best Places To Experience Jewish History In Central Europe


My recent tour with Intrepid Travel took me to six countries throughout central Europe. I heard the chimes of the astronomical clock in Prague, shopped along Vienna’s cobblestone streets, cruised the Danube River under the stars of Budapest, danced with locals in Kraków, and ate delicious vegan food in Berlin. Intrepid, whose mission is to create positive change through the joy of travel, are leaders in responsible tourism and specialize in small group travel. In addition to local group tours arranged by Intrepid throughout our trip, participants have free time to explore on their own in each destination. This is when I connected to my Jewish European roots and learned about my heritage. Here are five of the best places to experience Jewish history in Central Europe.

Prague

I spent most of the day exploring Prague’s Jewish Quarter and bought a Jewish Museum pass allowing entry into multiple places. The area is located just a few minutes walk from Old Town Square. There are many synagogues to explore including the Spanish Synagogue, Pinkas Synagogue, Klausen Synagogue, and the Old Jewish Cemetery, one of the oldest surviving Jewish burial grounds in the world with the earliest tombstone from 1439. Walking through the crumbling and clustered headstones jutting out and pointing in different directions is extremely moving. Some are delicately covered in growing ivy, flowers, and shrubs. Rabbis, historians, and scholars are among the 100,000 people buried here. But there are only 12,000 headstones because space was limited so bodies were buried on top of each other with graves layered 10 deep.

Nazis aimed to destroy all traces of Jews and Jewish culture. But the Old Jewish Cemetery was spared, along with hundreds of thousands of artifacts the Jewish Museum collected from all over Europe. It’s believed Hitler wanted to establish a “Museum of an Extinct Race” in Prague for when the war was over to show future generations the Jewish race was completely wiped out.

Vienna

In Vienna I checked out Jewish Museum Vienna to learn about Vienna’s Jewish life from the Middle Ages to the current day. Their mission is to raise awareness of Jewish culture, religion, and history through their exhibits. They have public tours as well as educational programs. Explore the impressive collection of Judaica and learn about the first Jewish community in Vienna. Judenplatz Square, one of Vienna’s oldest areas, was a center of Jewish learning with prominent rabbis living and teaching there. Walk through the old historical streets admiring the buildings that are over 100 years old and created with medieval stone. If you want to learn more about the Jewish heritage of Vienna, there are Jewish walking tours available.

Kraków

My visit to Poland was intense because I visited Auschwitz-Birkenau. The former German Nazi concentration and extermination camp is a symbol of terror and genocide where shocking crimes were committed against humanity. Over 1.1 women, men and children lost their lives in Auschwitz and about 1 million of them were Jews. Even though it wasn’t on our official Intrepid itinerary, we went together as a group to learn this crucial history. (Bus tours will take you directly to the complex from Kraków.) The solemn tour begins under a large wrought-iron gate with the words “Arbeit macht frei”. Translated from German it means “Work sets you free” – except working never led prisoners to freedom.

Learn the facts about the Holocaust here.

Kraków’s vibrant Jewish community has a strong history that is of course very dark at times, but there is also light, joy, and happiness all around town. I joined singing anti-war protests in Main Market Square to support Ukraine and danced with Ukrainian refugees. Despite multiple maps, I got completely lost in Kazimierz, the historical Jewish quarter. But they say the best way to learn about a destination is to get lost in it. So throw away your map and wander past charming cafes, bohemian shops, street art, and enjoy lunch at a local Jewish restaurant far from the crowds of main square.

Berlin

Having studied the work and life of Anne Frank since I was a child in Hebrew school, visiting The Anne Frank Zentrum exhibit “All about Anne” was a must-visit in Berlin. Anne Frank hid from the Nazis as a child and died in Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in 1945 at age 16. Her diary became famous after her death and her name and photos became known around the world. The educational exhibit in Berlin is in memory of Anne Frank and visitors can learn about her life and what she endured. Part of the interactive exhibit makes the connection between life today and Anne’s story while allowing for self reflection. Ann Frank Zentrum is located near Hackescher Markt, a neighborhood that was flourishing with Jewish life in Berlin before the Nazi takeover.

Budapest

Shoes on the Danube Promenade is a memorial for the Hungarian Jews murdered in Budapest during the war. During World War 2, 20,000 Jews were taken from their homes in the Budapest Ghetto. They were forced to remove their shoes at gunpoint and shot along the banks of the Danube River. The memorial is located near the Hungarian Parliament buildings at the edge of the water and consists of sixty pairs of shoes resembling those worn in the 1940s. The iron shoes are casually placed in a row and permanently set into the concrete, as if the owners just stepped out of them.

There are shoes with laces, boots, women’s pumps, and tiny shoes for kids, a chilling reminder of the children murdered in the Holocaust. You can bring a memorial candle or flowers if you want, or simply walk along the banks of the river paying your respects.



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