High Synagogue

The High Synagogue in Prague is a quiet, easy-to-miss gem tucked into the heart of Josefov, the city's historic Jewish quarter. It stands on Červená street, right next to the Jewish Town Hall, and while it lives in the shadow of the nearby Old-New Synagogue, it has its own story worth stopping for.

Who built it, and when?

The synagogue was completed in 1568, commissioned by Mordechai Maisel, one of the wealthiest and most influential figures in 16th-century Jewish Prague. Maisel served as an elder of the Jewish community and worked as a banker connected to the imperial court, and he used part of his fortune to fund several major building projects in Josefov during this period — the High Synagogue among the earliest of them. The design came from Pankratius Roder, an architect active in Prague at the time, who gave the building a Renaissance form typical of Central European architecture in that era.

Why is it called "High"?

The name doesn't refer to the building's height, but to where its prayer hall sits. Unlike most synagogues, where the main hall occupies the ground floor, here it was placed on an upper level — an unusual layout for the period, and the detail that gave the building its popular name among contemporaries.

What's its connection to Kraków?

Architectural historians have long noted a clear resemblance between Prague's High Synagogue and the High Synagogue in Kraków's Kazimierz district. Built around the same time, both share a similar approach to massing and interior layout, suggesting builders across Central European Jewish communities were drawing on shared architectural models circulating at the time — not a direct copy, but a common stylistic language of the period.

What is there to see inside today?

Historically, the building served as more than a prayer space — it doubled as the administrative seat of the Jewish community, where the elders of the kahal met to decide matters affecting the whole of Josefov. Today it forms part of the Jewish Museum in Prague and is occasionally used for temporary exhibitions and cultural events, though public access can be limited, so it's worth checking current opening arrangements before planning a visit.

Where exactly is it located?

The synagogue sits right in the middle of Josefov, next to the Jewish Town Hall and the Old-New Synagogue — one of the most densely packed pockets of historic sites in Prague, easily covered on foot in a single afternoon alongside the rest of the former Jewish quarter's landmarks.

Frequently asked questions

Can visitors go inside the High Synagogue? It belongs to the Jewish Museum in Prague complex, but unlike some of the other Josefov synagogues it isn't always part of the standard visitor route — access tends to depend on temporary exhibitions, so it's best to check current status before a visit.

Why is it called the "High" Synagogue? Because its main prayer hall sits on an upper floor rather than the ground floor, an unusual arrangement for a 16th-century synagogue and the feature that gave the building its name.

Who paid for its construction? Mordechai Maisel, a wealthy banker and elder of Prague's Jewish community, who also funded several other significant buildings in Josefov during the same period.

Is it the oldest synagogue in Josefov? No — that distinction belongs to the neighboring Old-New Synagogue. The High Synagogue was completed in 1568, more than three centuries later, during a period of major expansion of the Jewish quarter under Maisel's patronage.