High Synagogue (Prague)

The High Synagogue, also called the Josefov Vysoká Synagogue (Vysoká synagoga), is a Jewish congregation and synagogue, located on Červená ulice (Red Street), Prague, in the Czech Republic. Used as a synagogue from 1658 until World War II, the building is now part of the Jewish Museum of Prague.

The synagogue was listed as a cultural monument of the Czech Republic in 1992.

16th and 17th centuries
The High Synagogue was built in the High Renaissance 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. The supervising builder was Rada. In the center of the building there was a bimah, surrounded by seats. Maisel gave pieces of Torah and silver tools to the synagogue. The stucco 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 was simplified to the more modern Gothic Revival 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 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.