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Kazimierz's Old Synagogue, the Top Jewish Monument in
Krakow.
Krakow’s Old Synagogue
('Stara Synagoga' in Polish) ranks with the most ancient
Jewish places of worship in Europe. For centuries it was central
to the life of the
former Jewish quarter in
Kazimierz, once Krakow’s rival city
and now one of its downtown districts.
Krakow's unique
landmark
The 16th-century brick
synagogue was built next to the 14th-century city walls at the
south end of Szeroka street. Burnt in 1557, during the
subsequent reconstruction it was given a Renaissance facelift
evident in its outer shape, while the interior architecture has
remained unmistakably Gothic. When men congregated in the
spacious arched hall, women watched from the adjacent Female
Room accessible by the side door with a porch (see the
picture above).
After the Nazis had ruined
it during WW2, the Old Synagogue was rebuilt in the
mid-1950s.
Home to the Jewish museum in
Krakow
Since 1961 the Old
Synagogue at 24 Szeroka street in the
Kazimierz historic
district
has housed the museum of
Jewish history and traditions, a branch of the
City of Krakow Historical
Museum. The grand Gothic
interior of Poland’s oldest synagogue has been restored to the
past splendor with the help of museum pieces from other places.
Plus it has been crammed with extras: relics of Krakow’s former
Kazimierz Jewish quarter, items relating to religious rites and
family traditions, pictures, old photos, documents.
Opening Hoursof Krakow's Old Synagogue
The Jewish Museum in the Old Synagogue is open from 10
a.m. to 2 p.m. on Mondays and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on other
days. Admission is free on Mondays. Otherwise a regular
ticket costs eight zloties, reduced rate six zloties.
