The Old Jewish Cemetery is located in Josefov, the Jewish Quarter of Prague in the Czech Republic. It is one of the oldest cemeteries in Europe, dating from the second half of the XVth century. Since the local government of that time did not allow Jews to use another place of burial, the graves were dug very deeply, so that 12 people would be buried here, in an upright position. The result is one of the world's most “crowded” cemeteries. The number of people buried here is uncertain; however, it has been estimated that there are approximately 12,000 tombstones visible, and there could be 100,000 burials in all.
Here there are buried some of the most famous people such as: Yehuda ben Bezalel known as Rabbi Loew, who created the legend of Golem (a giant monster made of clay which protected the Jews from Prague), the banker Markus Mordechai Maisel (d. 1601) as well as the richest man in Prague and protector of the city's Jewish community during the reign of Rudolf II.
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