Sinagoga Vecchia-Nuova
براغ
The Old-New Synagogue is the oldest synagogue in Europe still in use. It was built in the 1270s and is the heart of Prague's Jewish community.
A Gothic synagogue
The building was built of stone around 1270, in the Gothic style of the churches of that time. It has a tall, steep roof and Late Gothic gables. Around it, on three sides, there are lower buildings.
Inside, a hall with two naves is covered by vaults resting on two pillars. In the centre is the reader's platform, enclosed by a Gothic grille.
Why Old-New
When it was built it was the New synagogue, next to an older one that no longer exists. When others were built, the name became Old-New.
Scholars and legends
Great rabbis taught here, such as Judah Loew ben Bezalel (died 1609) and Ezekiel Landau (1713–1793). Tradition tells many legends about Rabbi Loew.
Prayers here have never stopped, except during the years of the occupation, from 1942 to 1945. Excavations in 1998–1999 studied the history of the quarter.
Today the synagogue is still a place of prayer for the community. People passing by look at it with respect. It is one of the oldest and most precious buildings in Prague.
