The Old Jewish Cemetery, which dates back to the 15th century (1478), is worth a visit because it is the most popular tourist destination after the famed Charles Bridge. The New Cemetery, established in 1891, is the burial place of the great author Franz Kafka. Rabbi Löw's grave is also found at the cemetery. Because the cemetery was not allowed to expand, people were buried on top of each other in the same site, resulting in monuments that are quite close together. During the Middle Ages, the area had two different Jewish communities: Ashkenazim and Sephardim. These populations finally banded together and confined themselves in the ghetto. Emperor Joseph II alleviated some of the hatred Jews suffered in 1784 by calling the Jewish district Josefov after himself. The ghetto district was razed in the 1990s, but the town hall and many synagogues remained.
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