Eastern and Central Europe (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

PRAGUE 253

East Façade

The east and west

façades possess an

austerity that is in

contrast with the

Gothic interior.

. Rabbi Löw’s Chair
A Star of David marks
the chair of the Chief
Rabbi, placed where
Rabbi Löw once sat. A
16th-century scholar,
he was Prague’s most
revered Jewish sage.

The

tympanum

above the

Ark is

decorated

with 13th-

century leaf

carvings.

The Ark

This is the holiest place in the

synagogue as it holds

the sacred scrolls of the Torah

(the five books of Moses)

and of the books of

the Prophets.

The interior is

dim since the

small windows

do not allow

much light in.

STAR FEATURES

. Jewish Standard
. Five-rib Vaulting
. Rabbi Löw’s Chair

VISITORS’ CHECKLIST

Pařižská & Červená 2. Map E3.

Tel 222 317 191. v 17, 18 to

Staroměstská, 17 to Law Faculty.

Q Staroměstská. # Apr–Oct:

9:30am–6pm Sun–Thu, 9am–

4pm Fri; Nov–Mar: 9:30am–5pm,

9am–4pm Fri. ¢ Jewish hols. &

^ u 8am Mon–Fri, 9am Sat.

Maisel

Synagogue d

Maiselova synagóga

Maiselova 10. Map E3. X

Staroměstská. @ 133. # Apr–Oct:

9am–6pm Sun–Fri; Nov–Mar: 9am–

4:30pm Sun–Fri. ¢ Jewish hols. &

^ 7 http://www.jewishmuseum.cz

When it was first built, in

the late 16th century, Maisel

Synagogue was a private

house of prayer for use by

mayor Mordechai Maisel and

his family. It was the most

richly decorated synagogue in

the city. Maisel, who made a

fortune lending money to

Rudolph II, funded the

exten sive Renaissance recon-

struc tion of the ghetto.

The original building was

destroyed in a fire that also

devastated the Jewish Town

Hall in 1689, and a new syn-

agogue was built in its place.

Its present Gothic aspect

dates from the early 20th cen-

tury. The synagogue now

houses a superb col lection of

Jewish silver and other metal-

work dating from Renaissance

times. It includes early exam-

ples of items used in the

Jewish service, such as Torah

crowns and finials, used to

decorate the rollers which hold

the text of the Torah, shields

(hung on the mantle draped

over the Torah) and pointers

(used by readers to follow the

text). Most of these treasures

were brought to Prague by

the Nazis from synagogues all

over Bohemia and Moravia.

Exterior of Maisel Synagogue,

rebuilt in Gothic style