Jewish Prague
Mordechai Maisel Built His Synagogue During a Renaissance Remaking of the Jewish Town
Prague City Tourism says the synagogue was built from 1590 to 1592 by Mordechai Maisel, mayor of the Jewish Town and a major patron of its Renaissance reconstruction.
Maisel Synagogue, Josefov
One synagogue opens a wider story about Mordechai Maisel reshaping the Renaissance Jewish Town.
Start with the patron
Maisel Synagogue is easier to understand when the building is tied to Mordechai Maisel rather than treated as one more historic synagogue in Josefov. Prague City Tourism says the synagogue was built from 1590 to 1592 by Maisel, then mayor of the Jewish Town, and connects him with extensive Renaissance reconstruction of the ghetto. The building therefore opens a story about individual patronage operating at neighbourhood scale.
Read the synagogue as part of a larger project
A patron who funds one building is notable; a patron connected with wider urban reconstruction changes how the site can be read. Stand on Maiselova Street and think beyond the synagogue facade. That makes the synagogue a useful anchor for asking how institutions, streets and community buildings can change together.
Keep later appearance separate from the Renaissance origin
The synagogue changed repeatedly after the sixteenth century, including after fire and later rebuilding. That means the present appearance should not be treated as an untouched visual record of 1590–1592.
Reviewed visuals
See the story
Supporting images selected in the Prague Stories visual review. Context images are labeled so they are not mistaken for documentary proof of the exact subject.
Exact Spanish Synagogue interior visibly shows another Josefov institution.
A second exact Spanish Synagogue interior is visibly ornate.
Quick facts
- Prague City Tourism dates the synagogue to 1590–1592.
- The city source identifies Mordechai Maisel as the patron.
- Maisel is described as mayor of the Jewish Town.
- The source links him with extensive Renaissance reconstruction of the ghetto.
Questions
When was it built?
Prague City Tourism gives 1590 to 1592.
Sources & further reading
- Jewish Museum in Prague — Maisel Synagogue — Prague City Tourism