former synagogue in Kutná Hora

The former synagogue in Kutná Hora is a quiet but telling trace of a Jewish community that, for most of the town's history, wasn't even allowed to live there. The building stands on today's Smíškovo náměstí, just a short walk from the Gothic Cathedral of St Barbara, and while it now serves a Christian congregation, its Art Nouveau silhouette still hints at its original purpose.

Why did Jewish settlement here start so late?

Kutná Hora built its fortune on silver mining, and the town's guilds kept Jewish residents out for centuries — a ban that held from 1568 until the 1848 revolution swept away the Habsburg restrictions. Only then could Jewish families settle in the town, initially praying in a modest hall dating from 1881. Once the community grew in size and means, it decided to build a proper synagogue of its own.

When and how was the building constructed?

The new synagogue went up between 1902 and 1904, designed by architect Bohuslav Moravec. Its Art Nouveau form was conceived as a counterpoint to the former Jesuit college standing across the square, blending contemporary design with the neo-Baroque character of that part of town. The building rose on what is now Smíškovo náměstí and quickly became the main house of worship for the local Jewish community.

What happened to it during the war?

The synagogue served its original purpose for barely four decades. When the Second World War broke out, the Nazis deported Kutná Hora's Jews to Terezín, and few returned. During this period the building lost its religious function altogether, briefly housing a pipe-organ workshop — a use that further damaged its original interior.

How did the synagogue become a church?

In 1949 the building was purchased by the Czechoslovak Hussite Church, which has used it, after renovation, ever since. The remodeling stripped away much of the original stucco decoration, and in 1956 a columbarium was installed inside. The Torah ark and the symbol of the Ten Commandments were removed, and the stained-glass window on the east facade was replaced with the Hussite chalice, the church's characteristic emblem. Most of the Art Nouveau detailing had already disappeared during the roughly 1950 reconstruction.

What can visitors see today?

The facade underwent a thorough restoration completed in 2014, which brought back much of the legibility of its Art Nouveau proportions, even though the interior now looks nothing like it did a century ago. A memorial plaque commemorating the Holocaust victims of the local Jewish community is mounted on the building's wall. The property currently belongs to the Czechoslovak Hussite Church and is open to visitors during religious services and on European Heritage Days.

Frequently asked questions

Can visitors go inside the synagogue? The building is mainly accessible during Hussite church services and on European Heritage Days, so it's worth checking the local schedule before a visit.

Have any original Jewish features survived? Most of them, including the Torah ark and the stained-glass Ten Commandments symbol, were removed during the mid-20th-century remodeling; today Hussite elements, such as the chalice emblem, dominate instead.

Why is the building called the "new synagogue"? Because it replaced an earlier, provisional prayer hall from 1881, once the Jewish community had grown large enough to justify a permanent, representative building.