The Uzhhorod Synagogue is 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 ...

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 ...

Uzhhorod Uzhhorod (, ; , ; , ) is a List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality on the Uzh, Uzh River in western Ukraine, at the border with Slovakia and near the border with Hungary. The city is approximately equidistan ...

, in the present day

Zakarpattia Oblast Zakarpattia Oblast (Ukrainian language, Ukrainian: Закарпатська область), also referred to as simply Zakarpattia (Ukrainian language, Ukrainian: Закарпаття; Hungarian language, Hungarian: ''Kárpátalja'') or Transcar ...

of western

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

. When it was established in 1904, it was located within the

Austro-Hungarian Empire Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military and diplomatic alliance, it consist ...

. The congregation worshipped in the

Ashkenazi Ashkenazi Jews ( ; also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim) form a distinct subgroup of the Jewish diaspora, that Ethnogenesis, emerged in the Holy Roman Empire around the end of the first millennium Common era, CE. They traditionally spe ...

rite Rite may refer to: Religion * Ritual, an established ceremonious act * Rite (Christianity), sacred rituals in the Christian religion * Ritual family, Christian liturgical traditions; often also called ''liturgical rites'' * Catholic particular ch ...

. Acquired by the

Soviet Government The Government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) was the executive and administrative organ of the highest body of state authority, the All-Union Supreme Soviet. It was formed on 30 December 1922 and abolished on 26 December 199 ...

in 1947, the former synagogue building has been used as a

concert hall A concert hall is a cultural building with a stage (theatre), stage that serves as a performance venue and an auditorium filled with seats. This list does not include other venues such as sports stadia, dramatic theatres or convention ...

Synagogue

The synagogue was completed and dedicated on July 27, 1904. It was then part of the Lands of the Crown of St. Stephen within the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The building was designed by the architects Gyula Papp and Ferenc Szabolcs, in a flamboyant Romantic style that boldly intermingled

Byzantine Revival Neo-Byzantine architecture (also referred to as Byzantine Revival) was a revival movement, most frequently seen in religious, institutional and public buildings. It incorporates elements of the Byzantine style associated with Eastern and Or ...

and

Moorish Revival Moorish Revival or Neo-Moorish is one of the exotic revival architectural styles that were adopted by architects of Europe and the Americas in the wake of Romanticism, Romanticist Orientalism. It reached the height of its popularity after the mi ...

architectural elements. The image of the Star of David on the central balcony of the building

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 a notable feature.

Concert hall

In 1944, after the destruction of the Carpathian Jews, the fate of the synagogue changed. In 1947, the Soviet government gave the synagogue to the USSR Ministry of Culture, and the building has served as Uzhhorod's concert hall, prized for its acoustics. It has housed the Regional Philharmonic Society with the Transcarpathian Folk Choir. All Jewish symbols were removed from the building, although there was a plaque on the facade commemorating the 85,000 Jews from

who were murdered in

The Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

. , plans were announced to restore the glass dome with its mosaics. However, by 2019 those plans were yet to be realised, with a local congregation occasionally using the former synagogue for Jewish events.

Gallery

Image:Ungvar, Great synagogue (03).jpg Image:Ungvar, Great synagogue (04).jpg Image:Ungvar, Great synagogue (05).jpg Image:Uzhgorod Synagogue C.jpg Image:Uzhgorod Synagogue B.jpg Image:Синагога (філармонія) 1.jpg Interior of Uzhhorod Synagogue.jpg, Interior of Uzhhorod Synagogue in 2010

References

{{Jews and Judaism in Ukraine 1904 establishments in Austria-Hungary 1904 establishments in Ukraine 20th-century synagogues in Europe

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 ...

Byzantine Revival architecture in Ukraine Byzantine Revival synagogues Establishments in the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria Former synagogues in Ukraine Jewish organizations established in 1904 Moorish Revival architecture in Ukraine Moorish Revival synagogues Music venues in Ukraine Synagogues completed in 1904 Synagogue buildings with domes Ashkenazi Jewish culture in Ukraine Ashkenazi synagogues

Synagogue

Concert hall

See also

Gallery

References