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The Old Synagogue
The Old Synagogue was one of the earliest sacred Jewish buildings erected in Poland, and is the oldest synagogue in Poland. It was most likely built during the second half of the 15th century by refugees from Prague who after the pogrom of 1389 sought refuge in Poland. The building's architecture hints at this Czech influence. The double-isled prayer hall is a unique architectural style rarely used in the Middle Ages. The are four synagogues that employed it, in Regensburg (Bavaria), Worms (Rhineland-Palatinate), Prague and Kraków.
The Old Synagogue. Foto: J.J.
The synagogue's eastern wall was an integral part of the city's defensive fortifications. In spite of the fact that it was constructed of brick and stone a fire in 1557 almost completely destroyed it. Only the vestibule and the badly damaged main prayer hall survived. As the fire spared these elements Mateo Gucci - the Florentine architect hired to rebuild the synagogue - was able to preserve the original form of the main parts of the building. The rebuilding brought the synagogue a new, Renaissance style - the reigning style of the times. It was now markedly taller, punctuated with high arched windows. It also acquired a roof that was hidden behind an arcaded attic and exterior walls supported by buttresses.
The interior of the prayer hall kept its original character, to which was added a ribbed cross-vaulted ceiling supported by two Tuscan columns, between which, on a high multi-sided pedestal, stood the wrought-iron canopy of the bimah. It stands as wonderful example of 16th century metalwork, with its light grating extending down from its equally light dome. The mannerist aron ha-kodesh adorns the eastern wall; it has a richly carved stone border ornamented with floral scrolling.
During this rebuilding, a gallery for women was also added, which was separated from the main prayer hall will a full wall, in which there were small windows that allowed the women to hear the prayers and participate in religious services.
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The renovations also added a vestibule in which the rabbinical court began to hold its sessions. Do this day, it holds both a working well, in which one washed one's hands before entering the prayer hall, and the collection box framed set in a baroque stone frame. The collection box is engraved with the date 1407, which could be the year in which the first, original synagogue was built on same spot where the Old Synagogue is located.
The rebuilding of the synagogue took place over several years and in 1507 it was finally returned to use. Fires were, however, a recurrent problem, befalling the synagogue in 1623, 1643, 1693 and 1773. Each time the ensuing restoration effected some changes that updated it, adding characteristic elements from the reigning style of the era in which the renovations were carried out.
For centuries The Old Synagogue served as a religious and cultural center for Kraków's Jews. Leaders of uprisings such as Tadeusz Kosciusko in 1794 and Marcycy Krzepicki in 1846, independence activists like rabbi Ber Meisels, and political leaders such as the Polish President Ignacy Mosciski in 1931 all delivered speeches here.
The synagogue was remodeled twice in the 20th century, in 1904 and 1913, during which the elements added to it over the centuries were removed, returning it to its original Renaissance form. Another renovation took place after World War II, during which the synagogue was turned into a warehouse. Sliding things across the prayer hall's floor completely destroyed it. In the 1950s, a decision was made to completely renovate it and turn it into a part of the Historical Museum of Kraków. It currently houses an exhibition of items depicting the breadth of Jewish culture and history. There is a rich collection of liturgical items including candlesticks, incense holders, shields and crowns of the Torah, yads (Torah pointers) and Chanukah lamps. There is also an impressive collection of cloth, including yarmulkes, parocheths - the curtains used to cover the aron ha-kodesh, and bein gavras - the cloth used to cover the scrolls of the Torah. Additionally, one can view a collection of Jewish themed paintings. The museum has also collects documents dealing with the Holocaust and the fate of Cracow's Jews during the Nazi occupation.
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