Spanish Synagogue, Synagogue in Josefov district, Prague, Czech Republic
The Spanish Synagogue is a Moorish Revival temple in the Prague district of Josefov, known for its rich ornamental wall paintings and golden patterns. A central dome spans the square prayer hall, while galleries on three sides provide additional space for worshippers.
The building was erected in 1868 on the site of the Old School, a medieval synagogue that had been demolished earlier. During the occupation years, the space was misused as a warehouse for confiscated Jewish goods.
The name refers to the Moorish Revival style, inspired by the art of the Arabic period of Spanish history, not to Sephardic Jews; German-speaking Jews first called it Geistgasse-Tempel, Temple in Holy Spirit Street. Since 1998 it holds a permanent exhibition on modern Jewish history in Bohemia and Moravia, and concerts and Jewish festivals take place here.
The synagogue stands at Vězenská 1 in Josefov, next to a small park with Jaroslav Róna's statue of Franz Kafka. A functionalist annex added in 1935, once holding the vestibule and a winter prayer hall, adjoins the main building. The interior is entered from the street side; the exhibition rooms follow the hall and galleries.
The synagogue's name refers to its Moorish Revival style, inspired by the art of the Arabic period of Spanish history, not to Sephardic Jews. In its early years German-speaking Jews usually called it Geistgasse-Tempel, the Temple in Holy Spirit Street.
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