Třebíč connects its history with the founding of the Benedictine monastery in 1101. Thanks to its location on the banks of the river Jihlava and the generosity of the founders, the town soon became an important center of religious life and education. Today it is an important economic, administrative, political and cultural center of southwestern Moravia. It offers a wide range of opportunities for active recreation in the picturesque surroundings of the foothills of the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands. The town used to be the center of Jewish culture in Moravia, and the uniquely preserved Jewish quarter is a silent testimony to the coexistence of Jews and Christians. A sightseeing tour will take you to the Jewish Quarter and also to the Basilica of St. Prokop, which were inscribed on the UNESCO List in 2003.
The designation of a monument with this World Heritage emblem is an act by which the whole world community declares: “Yes, this is something that is unique and unique in the world, it is something that is our common heritage, for the other and in the interest of all of us – the nations of the world. “The former Czechoslovakia ratified the International Convention for the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage in 1991, and since then a total of 12 sites from all over the Czech Republic have been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The ensemble of the Jewish quarter, the Jewish cemetery and the basilica of St. In addition to unique architectural and urban values, Prokop in Třebíč is also a unique example of the close coexistence of Christian and Jewish culture from the Middle Ages to the 20th century. Basilica of St. Prokop was built in the middle of the 13th century in a transitional Romanesque-Gothic style. The church is one of the jewels of architectural art and its history is closely connected with the Benedictine abbey, founded in 1101 by the Přemyslid princes Oldřich Brněnský and Litold Znojmo. The completely preserved floor plan of the Jewish Quarter with more than 120 houses and narrow streets represents the original extent of the ghetto created in the area enclosed by the Jihlava River and Hrádek Hill. The Jewish Quarter also includes an extensive cemetery with 11,000 graves and 3,000 stone tombstones.
BASILICA OF ST. PROKOP
Basilica of St. Prokop, originally dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, was built from the 1930s as part of a Benedictine monastery. The basilica is built in the Romanesque style and is one of the jewels of medieval architecture of European importance. The wall paintings in the abbey chapel are among the oldest preserved in our territory. The building, at one time also served as a warehouse, granary, stables or brewery. After the restoration carried out by the builder František Maxmilián Kaňka in the first half of the 18th century, it gradually served again for sacral purposes and was dedicated to St. Procopius.
Below the eastern part of the basilica is a crypt, which is one of the most valuable parts of the basilica. Its ceiling is supported by 50 columns, each with an original decorated head. The connection of the main nave with the crypt in 1998 gave the unique monument its present-day face.
JEWISH QUARTER
The area, which was still designated for widespread remediation in the mid-1980s, has become the world’s most important monument. It is the only document of Jewish culture outside the territory of Israel inscribed on the prestigious UNESCO list. The district is characterized by narrow streets between houses, public passages, expansive arches, romantic squares, verandas and balconies. The district includes 123 preserved buildings, including the Front and Back Synagogues, the Jewish Town Hall, the rabbinate, the poorhouse, the hospital and the school.
The rear synagogue was completed in 1669. Over the years, it was also used as a storehouse for skins and later for fruits and vegetables. It was not until 1989-1997 that it underwent extensive reconstruction and was opened to the public. At present, the Rear Synagogue serves as an exhibition and concert hall. In the building of the Rear Synagogue in the Women’s Gallery there is a model of the Jewish quarter from 1850. In the Women’s Gallery in the synagogue there is also an exposition of Jewish culture called Makom-chajim translated as a place of life.
Another important house is the house of Seligmann Bauer. The house was built before 1798. In 2011 it underwent extensive reconstruction and was converted into a Jewish museum. The exhibition presents the living of a Jewish family in the interwar period. On the ground floor there is a grocery store and on the first floor we find a kitchen and a bedroom. The attic of the building is adapted into a lecture hall.
JEWISH CEMETERY
The Jewish cemetery in Třebíč is one of the largest and best-preserved Jewish cemeteries in the Czech Republic. Approximately 11,000 people are buried on an area of 11,722 m 2 and there are 3,000 tombstones. The oldest Jewish tombstone is dated to 1625, so the cemetery was built shortly before. In 1903, a new ceremonial hall was built near the entrance to the cemetery, the most valuable part of which is a colorful, beautifully decorated ritual washbasin – kijor. In the area of the cemetery there is also a memorial of fallen Jewish soldiers from the First World War and a memorial to the victims of the Holocaust.
