Synagogue (Turnov)
Coordinates: 50 ° 35 ′ 13.4 " N , 15 ° 9 ′ 13.4" E
The synagogue in Turnov is a sacred building of Judaism in northern Bohemia . It is the only synagogue in northern Bohemia that survived the German occupation from 1938 to 1945. The city's Jewish cemetery is part of the synagogue .
history
The synagogue was built in 1719 and served as a place of Jewish faith until 1941. According to old written sources, the current building is the third structure. The first two were made of wood and burned down in major fires in the city. In 1943 most of Turnov's Jews were deported to the Theresienstadt concentration camp . Only 19 people returned after World War II.
From 1951 to 2003 the synagogue building served as a warehouse for a household goods store. The shop was connected to the synagogue by a covered bridge. In order to take advantage of the high rooms of the building, additional floors were built in. In 2003 the shop's ailing building was sold to the town of Turnov. As a result, funds were collected from the European Union and the Norwegian aid community Norways Grants until 2006 to start restoring the synagogue in 2007. The work was finally finished in 2008. On November 20, 2008 the synagogue was inaugurated and opened to the public.
description
The outer facade of the synagogue is partially covered with slate . On the ground floor there is a kijor , a wash basin , which was used for ritual cleaning of the hands. The prayer room has a ceiling decorated with arabesques . In the middle, traces of a torn bima can be seen. There are memorial plaques on the walls for important Jews from the area. Most of the original wall decorations have survived to this day and were hardly covered by paint or panels.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c City of Turnov - Department of Tourism: Jews and Turnov. 2008.
- ↑ severnicechy.info: Jewish Synagogue in Turnov (May 3, 2011)
- ↑ www.synagoga-turnov.cz: Turnov Synagogue (May 3, 2011)
Web links
- Synagogue website (accessed February 1, 2013)