It is the oldest preserved synagogue in Central Europe, the second oldest and oldest used in the world. It is one of the first early Gothic buildings in Prague. It was built in the last quarter of the 13th century. Its building may be related to the privilege granted to the Jews of Prague by King Přemysl Otakar II in 1254. Architecturally, Staronová is one of the typically two-nave Gothic buildings of this time. It was probably inspired by the Romanesque construction of the synagogue in Worms or a similar house of prayer in Regensburg.
The Old-New Synagogue was originally called the New or Great Synagogue, unlike the older prayer room, which has not been preserved. It was not until the 16th century, when new synagogues were built in the Old Town, especially the Welscher Duschenes family synagogue in Široká Street, which also began to be called the New School, that it began to be called Altneuschul – i.e. the Old-New School.
There is a legend about the Old-New Synagogue that Rabbi Löw placed the Golem in its attic and forbade people to go there. One of the few people who went to see it despite the Maharal ban was the ‘furious reporter’ Egon Erwin Kisch, but he didn’t find anything there, so the Golem probably didn’t enjoy it there and left.
