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A section of Old Town traditionally inhabited by the Jewish community in Prague who started settling in this area around the 10th century; this former Jewish ghetto, which housed over 18,000 people, is no longer present as people were mistreated during pogroms throughout the centuries, the first creating the ghetto in 1096 and the worst being in 1389, when 1,500 were massacred on Easter Sunday. The Jewish Community, however, began to flourish in the 16th century under their Jewish Mayor, Mordecai Maisel, who in turn, became the Minister of Finance. The legend of Golem also surfaced around this time. In 1850, the district was renamed Josefov in honor of Josef II, Holy Roman Emperor, who issued the Tolerance Patent in 1781, which guaranteed religious equality to the Jewish population. During 1893-1913 the majority of buildings were demolished in order to make the district more Parisian; the remainder of Josefov included six synagogues, the Old Jewish Town Hall, and the Old Cemetery. During WWII, Hitler left Josefov alone, even expanded its wealth with Jewish artifacts, as he wished to house ‘an exotic museum of an extinct race’ at the end of the war. Josefov today is home to the Prague Jewish Museum, The Museum of Decorative Arts, high-end shopping, and fine dining and is also the birthplace of the great Franz Kafka.