
Sportareál Praha Satalice
Prague out of center → Satalice, Prague 9 • 6.9 mi ( 11 km ) from Spanish Synagogue



Nexus - ubytovna Praha
Prague out of center → Prague 14 • 7.2 mi ( 11.7 km ) from Spanish Synagogue






The Spanish Synagogue (Hebrew: בית הכנסת הספרדי, Czech: Španělská synagoga, German: Spanische Synagoge) is a Moorish Revival synagogue built in Prague in 1868 to the design of Vojtěch Ignátz Ullmann. The facade copies the form of the Leopoldstädter Tempel, built in Vienna, Austria, in 1853, a tripartite facade with a tall central section flanked by lower wings on each side. As in Vienna, the central section is topped by a pair of domed turrets.
The synagogue is most remarkable for the elaborate style of the interior, every surface is covered by elaborate Islamic-style polychrome and gilded patterns, some painted and some carved or molded.
During the Second World War, the Germans used the building as a repository for property taken from the Jews. The building underwent a restoration in the late 1990s.
The building is owned by the Jewish Museum of Prague, and is used as a museum and concert hall.
Despite its name, the synagogue was never used by a Spanish or Sephardic congregation: it was in fact an early Reform temple. There are two theories to account for the synagogue's name.