Jewish Town Hall

If you, walking around Prague, suddenly saw a clock on the tower, the hands of which go in the opposite direction, know – before you the building of the Jewish Town Hall.

The Jewish Town Hall in Prague was built next to the Staronov Synagogue in 1586. Financial support for the construction was provided by the mayor of the city, Mordechai Maisel, a man with untold wealth and at the same time endowed with a subtle artistic taste.

The town hall was created by the architect Pancras Roder, and its current Rococo appearance arose as a result of the restructuring of 1763 by Joseph Schlesinger. The town hall is decorated with a small elegant tower of green color. And this is not just an architectural detail, but a real reward: the Jewish community received the right to install it on the roof of the town hall after participating in the defense of Charles Bridge against Swedish troops in 1648.

But the tower is not the main feature of the Jewish Town Hall, but the clock on it. And there are two of them: above - the usual dial with Roman numerals, and below - the dial with Jewish numerals, very unusual for our eye, and even with arrows going the other way around.

The town hall has always been the centre of the local Jewish community and has not lost its importance. However, the premises are closed to outsiders. But on the ground floor of the Town Hall there is a kosher restaurant where you can taste traditional Jewish dishes.