Stara Bożnica na krakowskim Kazimierzu

Abstract

THE OLD SYNAGOGUE IN CRACOW’S KAZIMIERZ

The text covers the history of the Old Synagogue in Cracow’s Kazimierz, the oldest surviving monument of synagogue architecture in Poland. It offers a revised version of the origins of the synagogue, the phases of its development, the reasons for and extent of changes, their designers and the sizes and the functions of its rooms, mostly based on the monographic work by Leszek Ludwikowski (The Old Synagogue in Cracow’s Kazimierz, the Historical Museum of the City of Cracow). The origins of The Old Synagogue are still a matter of debate. Historically, there is still no evidence to refute the theory that it may have been built earlier than the second half of the 15th century. Despite its reconstruction in Renaissance style in the second half of the 16th century, the Old Synagogue has preserved its original, medieval interior layout — a two-aisle hall with cross-ribbed vaulting supported on pillars with a bimah between them, which places it among the Gothic synagogues in Worms, Regensburg and Prague. The date 1407 on the money box in the synagogue, dating from a later era, should be referred back to an earlier money box, and thus to an earlier synagogue which was previously located on the site. The above mentioned reconstruction of the synagogue was completed in 1570. Contrary to a widespread belief that this was due to a fire in 1557 and that it took place out over a period of 13 years, in fact we do not know the reason for the rebuilding and how long it took. In the second half of the 16th century and the first half of the 17th century two main annexes to the synagogue were built: the entrance hall and three prayer rooms for women built west, south and north of the main hall. The south annex is sometimes unjustly referred to as the ’’cantors’ room”. The Kehilla house was built as an annex in the second half of the 17th century, and the entire structure constituted the religious and administrative centre for the Jewish town in Kazimierz. More recently, the synagogue underwent major renovation before World War I and after the war, by Zygmunt Hendel. So far only 1904 and 1913 designs have been attributed to this architect, neglecting the 1923 renovation which crowned a long series of structural transformations which gave the building the form it has largely preserved to the present day.
During the Nazi occupation of Cracow in 1939—1945 and in the first decade after World War II the synagogue was largely devastated. In 1956—1959 it was renovated and adopted to serve as a Jewish museum. On the completion of the renovation, the Jewish Community in Cracow transferred the building to the Historical Museum of the City of Cracow on perpetual lease.