The Spanish Synagogue stands in Dušní Street in Prague, next to the Church of the Holy Spirit and a small park with the monument to Franz Kafka by Jaroslav Róna. It is the youngest synagogue of the former Jewish Town of Prague [1]. It was built in 1868 on the site of the Old School, the oldest prayer house of the ghetto, as the temple of the Reformed Worship Society [1][2].
History
On the site of today's synagogue originally stood the Old School, called the Altschul, which was demolished in 1867 [1][2]. The new building was designed by the architects Vojtěch Ignác Ullmann and Josef Niklas, and construction was led by Jan Bělský [1][2]. In 1882–1883 the Moorish decoration was created according to a design by Antonín Baum and Bedřich Münzberger [1][2].
In 1935 a functionalist extension with a winter prayer room, designed by the architect Karel Pecánek, was added [1][2]. During the Second World War the synagogue served as a warehouse for confiscated property [1][2]. Since 1955 it has been in the care of the Jewish Museum in Prague [1][2]. It underwent reconstructions in 1958–1959 and 1995–1998, after which it was reopened to the public [1][2].
Appearance and decoration
The building has a square floor plan with a dome and built-in galleries [1][2]. It takes its name from the decoration in the Moorish style, inspired by the Alhambra in Spain [1][2]. The interior is adorned with gilding, stained glass and stucco ornamental arabesques [1][2]. The dominant feature is the Aron ha-kodesh, stylised as a mihrab [1][2]. An organ is placed in the south gallery, which according to the source gives the space exceptional acoustics [1][2].
The source states that the synagogue never served a Sephardic community or the Sephardic rite, although its name might lead one to assume so [1][2]. According to the source, the synagogue in Příbram was a reduced copy of the Spanish Synagogue in Prague [1][2].
People associated with the place
The place is associated with the name of František Škroup, the composer of the music of the Czech national anthem, who played the organ in the Old School, the predecessor of today's synagogue [1][2].
Present use
The Spanish Synagogue is today part of the Prague Jewish Town visitor circuit [1][2]. It houses the permanent exhibition Jews in the Czech Lands, 19th–20th Centuries, which deals with Jewish emancipation, the Czech-Jewish and Zionist movements, the Hilsner Affair, the redevelopment of the Jewish Town, the Holocaust and the postwar renewal of Jewish life [1][2]. The exhibition presents figures such as Franz Kafka, Sigmund Freud and Gustav Mahler, and includes a Hanukkah menorah from 1785 with a portrait of Joseph II and a map of Jewish monuments of Bohemia and Moravia [1][2].
According to the source, the synagogue is also a popular venue for chamber music concerts and other cultural events [1][2]. The English version of the page states that a ticket office, a museum shop and toilets are available on the premises [2].
Status
Since 1955 the synagogue has been in the care of the Jewish Museum in Prague [1][2].