Books beneath the vaults of Wolf Popper Synagogue

A reason to pause here

The bookshop shelves and vaulted ceiling draw us behind the street frontage. We enjoy a stop that lets a historic religious building and contemporary reading share the same visit.

A merchant’s synagogue and its later uses

Wolf Popper, a merchant and financier, funded the synagogue in the early seventeenth century. Its small size led to the name Small Synagogue. Damage and looting during the Swedish invasion were followed by its transfer to the Jewish community.

Almost all the furnishings were destroyed or dispersed during the Second World War. The carved doors of the Torah ark survived and are now in Jerusalem. After the war, the building ceased regular religious use and later housed cultural activities. Austeria opened its bookshop here in 2017.

Follow the passage into the bookshop

Our photographs show the planted entrance, shelves and ceiling vaults. We would browse slowly, giving the building some attention without treating a working bookshop as an empty exhibition. A book about Kazimierz can be a useful companion for the next part of the walk.

Plan the visit

The bookshop is at Szeroka 16. Check Austeria’s current opening information and events before visiting. Follow staff guidance on photography and use of the courtyard; the historical building has thresholds and stairs, so ask about access requirements in advance. The Old Synagogue museum nearby has separate admission.