Josefov - The Rough Guide to Prague - page 140

INFORMATION
Tickets All the major sights of Josefov - five synagogues and the cemetery, defined as the
Jewish Museum ( jewishmuseum.cz ) - are covered by an all-in-one 480Kč ticket, valid for
one day only and available from any of the quarter's numerous ticket offices. If you don't
want to visit the Staronová synagoga, the ticket costs just 300Kč. Your ticket also covers
entry to the Jubilejní synagoga in Nové Město.
Opening hours Hours are the same across all the sights belonging to the Jewish Museum
(Sun-Fri: Nov-March 9am-4.30pm; April-Oct 9am-6pm). In order to try to regulate the
flow of visitors, at peak times there is a timed entry system. This gives you around twenty
minutes ateachsight,butdon'tworrytoomuchifyoudon'tadhererigidlytoyourtimetable.
Staronová synagoga (Old-New Synagogue)
Červená 2 • Sun-Fri: Nov-March 9am-4.30pm; April-Oct 9am-6pm; the synagogue closes early on Fri, and
all day during Jewish holidays • Jewish Museum ticket 480Kč • Metro Staroměstská
As you walk down Maiselova, it's impossible to miss the steep, sawtooth brick gables of the
Staronová synagoga or Altneuschul, called the Old-New Synagogue because when it was
built it was indeed very new, though it eventually became the oldest synagogue in Josefov.
Begun in the second half of the thirteenth century, it is, in fact, the oldest functioning syn-
agogueinEurope,oneoftheearliest GothicbuildingsinPrague,andstillthereligiouscentre
for Prague's remaining Orthodox Jews. Since the law prevented Jews from becoming archi-
tects,thesynagogueisthoughttohavebeenconstructedbythebuildersworkingontheFran-
ciscan convent of sv Anežka, or St Agnes . Its five-ribbed vaulting is unique in Bohemia; the
extra, purely decorative rib was added to avoid any hint of a cross.
To get to the main hall , you must pass through one of the two low vestibules from which
women watch the proceedings through narrow slits. Above the entrance is an elaborate tym-