Old Synagogue in Plzeň

The Old Synagogue in Plzeň is the oldest surviving Jewish house of prayer in the city, tucked away in a quiet courtyard between Smetanovy sady and Americká třída streets. Behind its modest facade lies more than 165 years of history tied to the revival of Plzeň's Jewish community.

When was the synagogue built, and by whom?

Construction took place between 1857 and 1859, based on designs by Martin Stelzer, a Plzeň city councillor and builder, with the actual building work carried out by Wenzel Wiesner. The project was directly linked to the return of Jews to Plzeň: after being expelled from the city in 1504, the community was only able to resettle there from the mid-19th century onward. The Jewish population grew quickly in this period — from 249 residents in 1854 to 1,207 by 1870.

What does the building look like?

The synagogue was designed in the Neo-Romanesque style. The rectangular structure measures roughly 20 by 14 metres and stands 12 metres high. Inside the main hall, a two-storey women's gallery rests on wooden columns. A wooden walkway and stone staircase once connected the synagogue to a neighbouring building, forming an unusual architectural ensemble.

Why did the synagogue lose its original role before the war?

The Old Synagogue stopped functioning as the community's main place of worship in 1893, when the much larger Great Synagogue opened nearby. From then on, the building was used as a warehouse. That shift in purpose — and the resulting obscurity — is generally seen as the reason the building survived the Nazi occupation largely unnoticed.

How was the building restored after the war?

In the 1990s, ownership returned to the Jewish Community of Plzeň, and the Rudolf Löwy Foundation funded urgent repairs, including a new roof and roof timbers. A full-scale reconstruction followed between 2010 and 2014, carried out as part of the "10 Stars" project for the revitalisation of Jewish heritage sites across the Czech Republic. The renovation was completed in June 2014.

What can visitors see there today?

The Old Synagogue is still used for religious services by members of the Jewish Community of Plzeň and remains open to the public year-round. Its third-floor gallery houses a permanent exhibition on the history of Plzeň's Jews, while the second-floor gallery presents an exhibition on Jewish worship, customs and traditions.

Frequently asked questions

How old is the Old Synagogue in Plzeň? It was built between 1857 and 1859, making it more than 165 years old.

Is the synagogue still in use? Yes — it still hosts religious services for the local Jewish community and is open to visitors throughout the year.

Why is it called the "Old" Synagogue? Because the much larger Great Synagogue opened in Plzeň in 1893 and took over as the main place of worship, leaving the earlier building known simply as the "old" one.

Where exactly is it located? In a courtyard between Smetanovy sady and Americká třída streets in central Plzeň.