Great Synagogue in Plzen
Twin-towered 1893 synagogue, the largest in Czechia, used for prayer, exhibitions and concerts.
The foundation stone was laid on 2 December 1888 for a neo-Gothic synagogue designed by the Viennese architect Max Fleischer, but the Jewish community soon found the costs beyond its means. Fresh sketches were commissioned on condition that the building seat 1,200 people, and the Plzen builder Emanuel Klotz, who waived his fee for the plans, became the architect. The result, with its twin towers, round-arched openings and oriental detailing, was consecrated on 7 September 1893.
In January 1942 more than 2,600 Jews were deported from Plzen, and only 204 returned. The synagogue survived partly because it stood between two houses and was used as a furniture store and workshop; bullet holes from the fighting of 1945 are still visible on the tablets of the Law above the gable. A partial restoration in 1994-98 brought it back into use, and further work has followed. It serves as a place of worship and as an exhibition and concert hall, with the permanent display Here Lived the Jews.
Highlights
- The largest synagogue in Czechia, seating well over a thousand
- Twin towers and Moorish detailing by the Plzen builder Emanuel Klotz
- Permanent exhibition Here Lived the Jews inside the main hall
- Bronze Footprints on the steps recall the deported Plzen Jews
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