Fragments of Jewish gravestones found during excavation work in the centre of Prague are to be returned to the 19th century Jewish cemetery where they were taken.

The fragments were found during work in a pedestrian zone at the foot of Wenceslas Square, one of the Czech capital’s most visited areas, and will be returned to the Old Jewish Cemetery in nearby Zizkov.

Up to 350,000 Jews lived in or near Prague before the Second World War, and the post-war Jewish community has called for the stones’ return ever since they were first used as cobbles in 1987, when the Jewish population was less than 8,000. The cobbles were made from gravestones that were cut into squares.

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Today’s community is driving a project, Finding the Lost Face of Jewish Cemeteries, to identify the fragments, according to Radio Prague International.