The Smichov Synagogue was built in 1863, originally in the neo-Romanesque and Moorish styles, to serve Smichov’s Jewish community. Jews had lived in Smichov since the mid-18th century and fought for many years to have a synagogue of their own. It was later rebuilt by a functionalist architect, which explains its rather drab exterior. After World War II, the synagogue was closed, and Communists gave the building to the CKD heavy engineering works. After the Velvet Revolution in 1989, the synagogue was returned to Prague’s Jewish community. The Jewish community recently renovated the synagogue, serving as a depository for the Jewish Museum.
