Historical sights
Jičín the synagogue
The oldest evidences for presence of Jews in the territory of Bohemian paradise Geopark originate from Jičín. Already before the year 1372 the Jew Pesák owned a house there. The long tradition of Jewish commune was interrupted in 1542, when the Jews were expelled from the kingdom. Already in 1549, however, first Jewish family came back to Jičín. In the year 1738 there was 14 Jewish families in the town, which were concentrated in the street “Židovská”, named after them up to now. The Židovská street carries until present time Romanic numbering of houses, established during the reforms of Josef II., which is artistically expressed by numbers in the walkway front of every object.
The synagogue was finished in 1773 or shortly before. The sanctuary aron ha-kodesh was after tradition built of components of the altar of St. Ignace church in compound of a Jesuit college, cancelled the same year. However, fate awarded to the synagogue no long existence, because it became victim of a fire of the city at June 23rd, 1840. During the recovery an external covered stairway was built to the women's gallery. The synagogue is Baroque of lengthwise type.
The Jewish cemetery was founded in the year 1651 at rim of forest Obory, belonging to the territory of so-called Valdštejn's loggie, in considerable distance from the city. Today the necropolis is accessible from Sedličky from the road Jičín Lomnice nad Popelkou. In the compound are nearly 360 gravestones since 18th century until the World War II. During reconstruction, started in the second half of 90ties, tens of gravestones were erected, and the cemetery's wall, morgue and the ceremonial hall were repaired.
Contact
Geopark UNESCO Český ráj
Jiří Vlasák
e-mail:vlasak@geopark-ceskyraj.cz
http://www.geopark-ceskyraj.cz
