The Old Synagogue ( pl, Synagoga Stara) was an

Orthodox Jewish Orthodox Judaism is the collective term for the traditionalist and theologically conservative branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Written and Oral, as revealed by God to Moses on M ...

synagogue situated in the

Kazimierz Kazimierz (; la, Casimiria; yi, קוזמיר, Kuzimyr) is a historical district of Kraków and Kraków Old Town, Poland. From its inception in the 14th century to the early 19th century, Kazimierz was an independent city, a royal city of the ...

district of

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

. In

Yiddish Yiddish (, or , ''yidish'' or ''idish'', , ; , ''Yidish-Taytsh'', ) is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated during the 9th century in Central Europe, providing the nascent Ashkenazi community with a ver ...

it was referred to as the ''Alta Shul''. It is the oldest synagogue building still standing in Poland, and one of the most precious landmarks of Jewish architecture in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

. Until the beginning of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

in 1939, it was one of the city's most important synagogues as well as the main religious, social, and organizational centre of the Kraków Jewish community. The Synagogue was built in 1407 or 1492; the date of building varies with several sources. The original building was rebuilt in 1570, by the Italian architect

Mateo Gucci Mateo Gucci (c. 1500 – c. 1550) was a Polish-Italian Renaissance architect and sculptor. He rebuilt the Old Synagogue in the Kraków suburb of Kazimierz, and he may have worked on the Wawel Castle. He is believed to have died in 1550, ac ...

. The rebuilding included the attic wall with

loopholes A loophole is an ambiguity or inadequacy in a system, such as a law or security, which can be used to circumvent or otherwise avoid the purpose, implied or explicitly stated, of the system. Originally, the word meant an arrowslit, a narrow verti ...

, windows placed far above ground level, and thick, masonry walls with heavy buttressing to withstand siege, all features borrowed from military architecture.

Ismail Serageldin Ismail Serageldin (; born 1944 in Giza, Egypt), Founding Director of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina (BA), the new Library of Alexandria, inaugurated in 2002, is currently, Emeritus Librarian, and member of the Board of Trustees of the Library of Alexa ...

, Ephim Shluger, Joan Martin-Brown, ''Historic Cities and Sacred Sites: Cultural Roots for Urban Futures'', by

World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Interna ...

Publications, 2001, pp. 307-8. There was further reconstruction work in 1904 and in 1913. The Old Synagogue is a rare, surviving example of a Polish

fortress synagogue A fortress synagogue is a synagogue built to withstand attack while protecting the lives of people sheltering within it. Fortress synagogues first appeared in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in the 16th century at a time of frequent invasions ...

. In 1794 General

Tadeusz Kościuszko Andrzej Tadeusz Bonawentura Kościuszko ( be, Andréj Tadévuš Banavientúra Kasciúška, en, Andrew Thaddeus Bonaventure Kosciuszko; 4 or 12 February 174615 October 1817) was a Polish Military engineering, military engineer, statesman, an ...

spoke from the synagogue to gain the Jewish support in the

Kościuszko Uprising The Kościuszko Uprising, also known as the Polish Uprising of 1794 and the Second Polish War, was an uprising against the Russian Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia led by Tadeusz Kościuszko in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Pr ...

. A plaque in the entrance hall commemorates this event:

"The Jews proved to the world that whenever humanity can gain, they would not spare themselves." – General Tadeusz Kościuszko

The synagogue was completely devastated and ransacked by the

Germans , native_name_lang = de , region1 = , pop1 = 72,650,269 , region2 = , pop2 = 534,000 , region3 = , pop3 = 157,000 3,322,405 , region4 = , pop4 = ...

during World War II. Its artwork and Jewish relics, looted. During the occupation, the synagogue was used as a

warehouse A warehouse is a building for storing goods. Warehouses are used by manufacturers, importers, exporters, wholesalers, transport businesses, customs, etc. They are usually large plain buildings in industrial parks on the outskirts of cities ...

. In 1943, 30 Polish hostages were executed at its wall.Sacred Destinations
Old Synagogue, Krakow
/ref> The Old Synagogue was renovated from 1956 to 1959 and currently operates as a museum. It is a division of the

Historical Museum of Kraków The Historical Museum of the City of Kraków ( pl, Muzeum Historyczne Miasta Krakowa) in Kraków, Lesser Poland, was granted the status of an independent institution in 1945. Originally, it was a branch of the Old Records Office of Kraków, in oper ...

, with particular focus on Kraków's Jews. The exhibits are divided into themes dealing with birth, prayer rituals, diet, divorce and death. The women's prayer room (Ezrat Nashim), dating back to the 17th century, is often used to hold temporary exhibitions.The Jewish Krakow
The Old Synagogue: ul. Szeroka 24.
Page stored at

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

Rebecca Weiner
The Old Synagogue
The Virtual Jewish History Tour File:Old_Synagogue_Krakow_35.jpg, File:Inside old synagogue Krakow.JPG, File:Kazimierz_Alte_Schul_07799.jpg, File:Krakow_KazimierzWall_G24.jpg,

References

External links

How to get there?

JewishKrakow.net
A guide to Kazimierz, Kraków's Jewish Quarter.
Old Synagogue

Holocaust Interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Old Synagogue, Krakow Ashkenazi Jewish culture in Poland Former synagogues in Poland Orthodox synagogues in Poland Religious buildings and structures completed in 1492 Synagogues in Kraków Museums in Kraków Romanesque and Gothic synagogues 15th-century synagogues Fortress synagogues Gothic architecture in Poland Holocaust locations in Poland

See also

References

External links