Synagogue in Polná

The remarkable ghetto, founded after 1680, consists of 32 houses around two squares, between which is a synagogue from 1683. The oldest floral painting is preserved in the women’s gallery. In the men’s section there is an exhibition of the history of the Jews in Polná, in the women’s gallery there is an exhibition The Story of Leopold Hilsner.

The Jewish ghetto in Polná consists mainly of the interesting Karlovo náměstí with the synagogue building and the adjacent rabbi’s house, through which you can get to the so-called “rabbi’s square”. The synagogue in the center of the ghetto, between the two squares, dates from the end of the 17th century and was structurally modified several times during the 19th century, especially in connection with numerous fires. Services were held here, similarly to other synagogues, until the outbreak of World War II .

The synagogue has a rectangular shape on the east end with a round stone plinth. The main hall could accommodate 118, a special gallery with a capacity of 80 seats was set up for women, supported by six granite columns. The men’s section was entered through a longitudinal corridor from the street, the women’s gallery through a separate entrance.

The Nazis used the building as a warehouse for confiscated Jewish property , which was to serve as exhibits for the upcoming Museum of the Extinct Race. After 1951, the building served as a warehouse for paints and artificial fertilizers and gradually fell into disrepair. The devastation was completed in 1969 when the roof and ceilings collapsed. The roofless synagogue became the site of a black dump. Better times began to flash in 1989, because instead of removing the building, its restoration began.

Today, the synagogue houses the Regional Museum of Jewish Culture, which presents local Jewish history, especially the story of Leopold Hilsner, who was accused and tried for the alleged ritual murder of Anežka Hrůzová here in Polná. The then professor and later president of the republic TG Masaryk also spoke in his defense . The aim of the exhibition is to describe the course of the Hilsner affair (murder, investigation, trial), to emphasize the manipulated and prejudiced course and the role of accusations in modern anti-Semitism . To show that accusations of ritual murder serve above all as an illustrative demonstration, visualization or metaphor for the thesis of modern political anti-Semitism.

Operator

Regional Jewish Museum – Synagogue

Karlovo náměstí 540
588 13 Polná

• Tel.:+420 567 559 211
• Email:infocentrum@mu-po…
• WWW:www.mestopolna.cz
• GPS:49.485280 15.721659

Opening hours

May – September
1.5. – 30.9.
Monday CLOSED
Tuesday – Friday 09:00 – 12:00
13:00 – 17:00
Saturday CLOSED
Sunday 09:30 – 12:00
13:00 – 17:00

Admission

Price:  100 CZK
Reduced price:  50CZK ( Might be changed)

Duration

1-3 hours