The Great Synagogue () was a former

Orthodox Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to: Religion * Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pag ...

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

congregation and

synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...

, located at 29 Jerizilimska Street, in

Piotrków Trybunalski Piotrków Trybunalski (; also known by #Etymology, alternative names), often simplified to Piotrków, is a city in central Poland with 71,252 inhabitants (2021). It is the capital of Piotrków County and the second-largest city in the Łódź Voi ...

, in the

Łódź Voivodeship Łódź Voivodeship ( ) is a Voivodeships of Poland, voivodeship (province) of Poland. The province is named after its capital and largest city, Łódź, pronounced . Łódź Voivodeship is bordered by six other voivodeships: Masovian Voivodeship ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

. Designed by David Friedlander and completed in 1793, the synagogue served as a house of prayer until World War II when it was desecrated by

Nazis Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

. After the war, the building was renovated and repurposed as a county

library A library is a collection of Book, books, and possibly other Document, materials and Media (communication), media, that is accessible for use by its members and members of allied institutions. Libraries provide physical (hard copies) or electron ...

. Although plundered during World War II, the building is the best preserved synagogue in the Łódź region and one of the best preserved in Poland.

History

Kazimierz Stronczynski who in 1844-55 led the first official inventory of important buildings in Poland, titled ''A General View of the Nature of Ancient Monuments in the Kingdom of Poland,'' described the Great Synagogue of Piotrków as one of Poland's architecturally notable buildings. On the front wall there is a

commemorative plaque A commemorative plaque, or simply plaque, or in other places referred to as a historical marker, historic marker, or historic plaque, is a plate of metal, ceramic, stone, wood, or other material, bearing text or an image in relief, or both, ...

in Polish, Hebrew,

Yiddish Yiddish, historically Judeo-German, is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated in 9th-century Central Europe, and provided the nascent Ashkenazi community with a vernacular based on High German fused with ...

, and English, that reads: In 2012 the synagogue was restored. The

façade A façade or facade (; ) is generally the front part or exterior of a building. It is a loanword from the French language, French (), which means "frontage" or "face". In architecture, the façade of a building is often the most important asp ...

was repainted according to its original appearance before World War II.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Great Synagogue (Piotrkow Trybunalski) 1791 establishments in Poland 1940s disestablishments in Poland Ashkenazi Jewish culture in Poland Ashkenazi synagogues Buildings and structures in Piotrków Trybunalski Former Orthodox synagogues in Poland Holocaust locations in Poland Libraries in Poland Piotrków Trybunalski in World War II Religious buildings and structures in Łódź Voivodeship Romanesque Revival architecture in Poland Romanesque Revival synagogues Synagogues completed in 1793 20th-century attacks on Jewish institutions

History

See also

References

External links