Objects

The Wolf Popper (Stork) Synagogue is located at 16 Szeroka Street in the Kazimierz district of Kraków. The street abuts the longer side of the building. The synagogue is accessed through a courtyard surrounded by a high wall with three gates built in the 19th century. The two side gates are identical and have semi-circular tops, while the central gate is wider and has a rectangular shape. Above it is a plaque engraved with a Hebrew inscription reading: “Synagogue named after R. Wolf Popper, blessed be his memory, founded in the year 5380 (1620), restored by the board in the year 5664 (1904).”The inscription above the gate mentions the founder of the synagogue, wealthy merchant Wolf Popper, also known as “the Stork.” Founded by Popper in 1620, the building was designed in the Baroque style on a rectangular floor plan. Its stone and brick walls are supported by high scarps. The synagogue was lavishly furnished and cost dearly to maintain. At some point, the Popper family saw itself unable to further fund its operation. The building thus came under the administration of the Jewish community of Kazimierz.