Old-New Synagogue: Europe's oldest active synagogue

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The Old-New Synagogue is the oldest fully preserved and continuously active synagogue in Europe. Its construction is dated to around 1270 — at which time Jews had inhabited Josefov, Prague's Jewish Town, for at least two centuries. The name "Old-New" (Altneuschul in Yiddish) has generated speculation for centuries: one theory holds that the synagogue replaced an older building and was called "new" until further synagogues were built. Another, mystical reading derives the name from the Hebrew al tenai — "on condition" — suggesting the building stands provisionally, until the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem.

The synagogue is built in the Gothic style, characteristic of Central European architecture of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. The interior of the main hall is covered by a unique five-ribbed vault — five ribs rather than the standard four, a deliberate anomaly to avoid forming a cross, a Christian symbol. The bimah is enclosed by a Renaissance iron grille from the sixteenth century. The hall is lit by the half-light that filters through narrow lancet windows — the only source of natural daylight.

The Maharal of Prague — Rabbi Judah Loew ben Bezalel — was active in Prague from the 1570s until his death in 1609. As the city's chief rabbi he delivered teachings in the Old-New Synagogue on many occasions and conducted discussions with his pupils there. Legend attributes to him the creation of the Golem — a humanoid figure fashioned from the clay of the Vltava, animated by the shem (a tablet bearing the name of God) and summoned to defend the Jewish community of Prague. The Golem's remains, according to tradition, rest in the inaccessible attic of the synagogue, which by custom is never opened.

The synagogue survived fires, pogroms and the Second World War. During the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia the Germans devastated most of Josefov, but preserved the Old-New Synagogue — incorporating it into a planned "Museum of the Extinct Race." Paradoxically, that intention saved the building. After the war the synagogue returned to its religious function and has served the Orthodox Jewish community of Prague without interruption since.

The Old-New Synagogue is a rare example of early Gothic Jewish construction in Central Europe. The exterior, with its distinctive steep triangular gables and the brick gable above the eastern window, rises above the low-rise streetscape of Josefov. A small brick turret with external buttresses completes the Gothic profile.

The interior is double-aisled — the same arrangement as the Old Synagogue in Kraków, arising from the same architectural principle of limiting height. The five-ribbed vault is a unique technical and symbolic solution: the fifth rib prevents the formation of a cross. The bimah stands centrally, enclosed by a fifteenth-century Gothic grille with a sixteenth-century Renaissance overlay. The Aron HaKodesh on the eastern wall is older than in most European synagogues — dating to the fourteenth or fifteenth century, with more restrained decoration than the Baroque arks of later buildings. A flag hangs on the wall — a copy of the banner granted to the Jewish community by Emperor Ferdinand III in 1648.

The double entrance — for men from the main street, for women through a separate lateral portal — preserves the medieval spatial arrangement. The attic above the women's section is inaccessible.

The Old-New Synagogue is an active place of Orthodox worship and sells entry tickets for visiting outside service hours. Head covering is obligatory for men — kippot are available at the entrance. Women enter a separated room through the side door. Photography is strictly prohibited — this applies to all devices.

Entry is through the Jewish Museum in Prague — combination tickets cover several Josefov synagogues. The Old-New Synagogue is open Sunday to Friday except Jewish festivals. It is closed to tourists on Shabbat. A visit takes approximately forty-five minutes.

Zasady wizyty:

• • Nakrycie głowy mężczyzn: wymagane
• • Separacja płci: tak (ortodoksyjna)
• • Fotografia: NIE dozwolona
• • Datek: oczekiwany

The Old-New Synagogue is in Josefov, central Prague (Praha 1), on Červená Street, two hundred metres from Old Town Square. The Mercedes V-Class arrives via Pařížská — Josefov's main boulevard — or via Maiselova Street. Central Prague parking is limited; the Paládium (300 m) or Kotva (400 m) car parks are recommended. Transfer from Kraków: 530 km, approximately five and a half hours by motorway via Ostrava and Brno.