High Synagogue, Prague

The High Synagogue of the Jewish Quarter was built in 1568. Its construction was financed by Mordechai Maisel, a philanthropist and one of the richest men in Prague at the time.

Built next to the Jewish Town Hall, the synagogue was a place of preaching for the councillors of the Town Hall and also where the Rabbinic Court was held. The name “High” came about from the fact that the prayer hall is located on the 1st floor of the building.

In 1689, the synagogue was destroyed in the Great Fire but was carefully restored along with the original ribbed vault with its eight-pointed star. In 1883 the building was renovated and received the rather simplistic façade that it has today.

During the Nazi and Communist rule the synagogue was used by the Jewish Museum to display Torah textiles, silver ceremonial tools and ancient Hebrew books. After the fall of Communism, a bookshop opened and sold books about the Holocaust.

As of 1997 the synagogue has been reinstated as a place of worship for Prague citizens and foreigners, and is no longer open to tourists.