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The Old New Synagogue (Czech: Staronová synagoga; German: Altneuschule, Altneusynagoge) situated in...

The Old New Synagogue (Czech: Staronová synagoga; German: Altneuschule, Altneusynagoge) situated in Josefov, Prague, is Europe's oldest active synagogue. It is also the oldest surviving medieval synagogue of twin nave design. Completed in 1270 in gothic style, it was one of Prague's first gothic buildings. A still older Prague synagogue, known as the Old Synagogue, was demolished in 1867 and replaced by the Spanish Synagogue. There are two explanations for the name "Alt-Neu." The first is based on the German and Yiddish translation of Alt-Neu as "Old-New." According to this explanation, the synagogue was originally called the New or Great Synagogue and later, when newer synagogues were built in the 16th century, it became known as the Old-New Synagogue. Another view says this may be a mistranslation. According to this version, the synagogue is believed to have been built from stones from the Temple in Jerusalem, and the synagogue was built "on condition", in Hebrew: Al-Tnai, that the stones would be returned after the reconstruction of the Temple. Nine steps lead from the street into a vestibule, from which a door opens into a rectangular nave with six vaulted bays. Two large