The High Synagogue, also called the Vysoká Synagogue (Vysoká means High in

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus *Czech (surnam ...

), the official name in , also known under its German synonym die Hohesynagoge, or as בה"כ גבוה Bet HaKnesset Gvuah in Hebrew or הויכשול Hoykhshil in Yiddish, is a

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

congregation and

synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...

, located on Červená ulice (Red Street),

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

, in the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

. Used as a synagogue from 1568 until

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, in the postwar times it has for some time become part of the

Jewish Museum of Prague The Jewish Museum in Prague () is a museum of Jewish heritage in the Czech Republic and one of the most visited museums in Prague. Its collection of Judaica is one of the largest in the world, about 40,000 objects, 100,000 books, and a copious a ...

. After being restituted in the 1990s by the Jewish Community of Prague, it has once again been used as a symbol synagogue ever since. It is used on daily basis for services of the members of the orthodox Prague Jewish community. The synagogue was listed as a

cultural monument of the Czech Republic Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, attitudes, and habits of the individuals in these groups ...

in 1992.

History

16th and 17th centuries

The High Synagogue was built in the

High Renaissance In art history, the High Renaissance was a short period of the most exceptional artistic production in the Italian states, particularly Rome, capital of the Papal States, and in Florence, during the Italian Renaissance. Most art historians stat ...

style, financed by Mordechai Maisel, completed in 1568. Maisel was the Mayor of the Prague Jewish Town and the private synagogue was located adjacent to the Jewish Town Hall. The synagogue building served as the meeting place for the rabbinical court and the Jewish council. It was called the High Synagogue because of its position on the first floor of the Town Hall; with access available only via the Town Hall. The synagogue building was designed by Pankratius Roder, an Italian, and was likely to be modelled after High Synagogue, Kraków, which was built in 1556 in

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

, and probably after buildings of

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

. The supervising builder was Rada. In the center of the building there was a bimah, surrounded by seats. Maisel gave pieces of

Torah The Torah ( , "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. The Torah is also known as the Pentateuch () ...

and silver tools to the synagogue. The

stucco Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and ...

ceiling was Gothic ribbed vaulting. The synagogue was partially destroyed by the 1689 Great Fire; and was subsequently reconstructed in 1691.

19th and 20th century

In 1883 the synagogue was rebuilt by J. M. Wertmüller. During this modification the

façade A façade or facade (; ) is generally the front part or exterior of a building. It is a loanword from the French language, French (), which means "frontage" or "face". In architecture, the façade of a building is often the most important asp ...

was simplified to the more modern

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...

appearance. The interior lunette vaults with decorative stucco work remained in their original Renaissance style. In 1907 the eastern entrance was closed, and a new entrance was made facing ''Červená Street'' (Red Street). Other reconstructions were made during 1961, 1974–79 and 1982. The congregation worshiped in this location until the autumn of 1941, and then used as a warehouse during

German occupation German-occupied Europe, or Nazi-occupied Europe, refers to the sovereign countries of Europe which were wholly or partly militarily occupied and civil-occupied, including puppet states, by the (armed forces) and the government of Nazi Germany at ...

and Czech communist rule. After World War II, the Jewish community restored the synagogue, and from 1950 until 1992 the building served as a seat of the National Jewish Museum. Exhibitions of synagogue textiles was installed until 1982. In 1994 - 1996 the synagogue was restored and since 1997, it has again served the purposes of the Prague Jewish community’s chapel after a pause of nearly fifty years. The synagogue and the Jewish Town Hall together serve as a location for the

midrasha A ' (Hebrew: ; : ), typically, is an institute of Torah study for women of post-high-school age, somewhat equivalent to a men's yeshiva; most are located in Israel. The midrasha is also somewhat parallel to a "women's seminary" (Hebrew "semin ...

Notes

References

External links