The Maisel Synagogue

The Maisel Synagogue

The Prague audio-guided tour invites you to quiet contemplation before the Maisel Synagogue, one of the seven famous synagogues of the city. It was once the largest and most sumptuous building of the Prague Jewish ghetto.

The work of Mordechai Maisel

Built between 1590 and 1592, the synagogue owes its name to Mordechai Maisel, its founder, a great leader of the Jewish city of Prague in the sixteenth century. First private, then opened to the public from 1601, it held its last religious service in 1941, under the occupation. Since this interruption, it has been part of the Jewish Museum of Prague and testifies with gravity to the long history of the community.

What there is to see

The synagogue today houses a permanent exhibition on the history of the Jews of Bohemia, retracing their presence and their life over the centuries. Its restored interior and its collections invite you to understand an essential part of the history of Prague. It is a place of memory and transmission, to be visited with respect and contemplation.

Practical information

The Maisel Synagogue is in the Jewish quarter of Josefov, in Prague. A member of the Jewish Museum of Prague, it can be visited according to its own schedule, with a charge, whose opening times may vary with the season and the holidays. A place of memory, it can be discovered with respect and contemplation.

Who founded the Maisel Synagogue?

Mordechai Maisel, a great leader of the Jewish city of Prague in the sixteenth century; the synagogue was built between 1590 and 1592.

What does the Maisel Synagogue present today?

A permanent exhibition on the history of the Jews of Bohemia, as part of the Jewish Museum of Prague.