Rabinska ulice by Vaclav Jansa - Prague, Czech Republic
Posted by: 
ToRo61
N 50° 05.414 E 014° 25.103
33U E 458395 N 5548826
Rabínská ulice. Staronová synagoga s Židovskou radnicí // Rabinska Street, Old-New Synagogue and Jewish Town Hall
Waymark Code: WMV308
Location: Hlavní město Praha, Czechia
Date Posted: 02/14/2017
Views: 27
The Old-New Synagogue (on the left side of picture) in the Jewish Quarter (Josefov) of Prague is Europe's oldest active synagogue and one of the earliest Gothic buildings. It is still active today.
Completed in 1270 in the Gothic style, the Old-New Synagogue was one of Prague's first Gothic buildings.
It was originally called the New or Great Shul to distinguish it from a still older one, which was demolished in 1867. Then, when newer synagogues were built in the 16th century, it became known as the Old-New Synagogue!
The Old-New Synagogue has withstood several pogroms (including a massive one in 1389 that killed 3,000 Jews), fires and the 19th-century redevelopment of the Jewish Quarter. According to legend, angels brought stones from King Solomon's Temple to build the synagogue, and those same angels still protect the synagogue.
The legend also says that one day, the synagogue will be dismantled to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem. Until then, the synagogue exists At-Tnay, "on condition." An alternative explanation for the unusual name of the Old-New Synagogue is that it is a mistranslation of this Hebrew phrase At-Tnay.
The famous author Franz Kafka attended this synagogue when he lived in Prague and his bar mitzvah was held here. The only time the Old-New Synagogue has not been used as a house of worship was between 1941 and 1945, during the Nazi occupation.
The old Jewish Town Hall ranks among the few monuments of Prague-Josefov which have survived the extensive demolitions related to the sanation programs of the Prague´s Jewish ghetto leading to improvement of standard of living and hygienic conditions of the community.
The author of this painting is Václav Jansa. You can find this painting in book 'Starou Prahou Václava Jansy' (
visit link) .
Vaclav Jansa (October 22, 1859 Slatinice - June 29, 1913 Cernošice) (
visit link) Czech landscape artist and illustrator, best known for these views, originally painted in water-colour.
Jansa was apprenticed to buyers, but later he devoted himself to his hobby of drawing and painting. Vaclav Jansa traveled a lot and took to painting landscapes. He painted mostly southern Bohemia and Giant Mountains. Since 1893 was redeveloped historic districts of Prague, Prague ghetto and parts of the Old and New Town. In this time Jansa painted cca 150 colored watercolors documenting disappearing part of the city.