3 Best Sights in Moravia, Czech Republic

Mikulov's massive cemetery with 4,000 tombs is not far from Husova ulice, just off Brněnská. The cemetery dates to shortly after 1421 when Jews were forced to leave Vienna and Lower Austria. The oldest legible stone is from 1605 and the most recent are from the 19th century, giving a wide range of stylistic flourishes. Step into the ceremonial hall to view an exhibit of the cemetery's history. Visits outside of opening hours and guided tours can be arranged at least two days in advance.

Several basement rooms in the tunnels next to the St. James Church are filled with neatly stacked bones, making it one of the largest ossuaries in Europe. Sealed up since the late 1700s, its contents were unearthed in 2001 and were cleaned after years of neglect before being opened to the public in 2012. Remains of some 50,000 people are estimated to be in the rooms, including victims of plagues, epidemics, and wars from the 13th to 18th centuries. It is much larger than the famous ossuary in Kutná Hora in Central Bohemia, which has bones in decorative designs. At one of the upper windows of the church, as seen from the street, there is a sculpture of a monk exposing his backside toward a rival church across town.

The Jewish Cemetery has 3,000 tombstones dating from the Renaissance up to the 20th century. It's free to enter, but guided tours can be arranged. The cemetery is closed on Saturday, but almost all of it can be seen from the gate and the low wall.