The Old Synagogue was built between the 15th and 16th centuries, and is the oldest synagogue in Krakow and Poland. The synagogue, located in the Kazimierz district and until 1939 was considered a temple, while now it is a museum dedicated to the history of Krakow's Jews.
It is undoubtedly one of the most important and valuable monuments of Jewish architecture in Europe. What we see today does not reflect the first construction of the synagogue, which had Gothic architecture. It was destroyed by fire in 1557 and rebuilt in a Renaissance style by the Italian architect Matteo Gucci.
The synagogue was also severely damaged during the Nazi occupation and was rebuilt between 1955 and 1957 respecting its Gothic-Renaissance appearance.
