Old New Synagogue, Prague, Czech Republic

The Old New Synagogue (Staronová synagoga) situated in Josefov, Prague, is Europe's oldest active synagogue. It is also the oldest surviving medieval synagogue of twin-nave design. Completed in 1270 in gothic style, it was one of Prague's first gothic buildings.

An unusual feature found in the nave of this synagogue is a large red flag near the west pillar. In the centre of the flag is a Star of David and in the centre of the star is a hat in the style typically worn by Jews of the 15th century. Both the hat and star are stitched in gold. Also stitched in gold is the text of Shema Yisrael. Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor awarded the Jewish community their own banner in recognition for their services in the defence of Prague during the Thirty Years War. The banner now on display is a modern reproduction.

It is said that the body of Golem (created by Rabbi Judah Loew ben Bezalel) lies in the attic where the genizah of Prague's community is kept. A legend is told of a Nazi agent during World War II broaching the genizah, but who perished instead. In the event, the Gestapo apparently did not enter the attic during the war, and the building was spared during the Nazis' destruction of synagogues. The lowest three meters of the stairs leading to the attic from the outside have been removed and the attic is not open to the general public.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

chaim greenfield (7 months ago)
Not included in the 4 synagogue tour, you will need a seperate overpriced ticket to enter. Not so exciting on the inside

Giuseppe Maria Ardizzone (8 months ago)
One of the oldest Sinagogues in Europe.

Maks W (10 months ago)
One of the oldest synagogues in Europe and it looks like it. The way how tickets work and how they are bundled is not customer friendly. Also you can get cheaper ticket to Jerusalem synagogue with ticket to the old-new synagogue - useful information if you want to see something more impressive.

Anna (15 months ago)
I don’t like the fact that you have to pay to go inside. That’s the case of lots of monuments in Prague. To my opinion this is wrong especially when it comes to religious structures. Otherwise the building looks great.

Angie Bee (2 years ago)
Our trip to Prague - for us - wouldn't have been complete without seeing inside at least one synagogue, and we chose the Old New Synagogue which was just beautiful. It's an active synagogue and it's the oldest. It's quiet, peaceful, beautifully ornate and cozy. It has gorgeous vaulted stone ceilings and gorgeous arches. There's a small fee to go inside. You can buy a pass that allows you to see a few synagogues in a certain period of time, but due to the time we had left, this is the one we opted to see and it was lovely. It's central to Old Town and the square and there's a lot of great shopping nearby and places to eat lunch at. If seeing meaningful religious places of worship is your thing, then I highly recommend coming here.

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Roman Moško

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