The Nitra Synagogue (
Slovak: ''Synagoga v Nitre'') is a historical building in
Nitra
Nitra (; also known by other alternative names) is a city in western Slovakia, situated at the foot of Zobor Mountain in the valley of the river Nitra. It is located 95 km east of Bratislava. With a population of about 78,353, it is the fifth la ...
,
Slovakia
Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...
.
The synagogue was built in 1908–11 for the
Neolog Jewish community. It was designed by
Lipót Baumhorn
Lipót Baumhorn ( hu, Baumhorn Lipót, german: Leopold Baumhorn, 28 December 1860, Kisbér – 8 July 1932, Kisbér) was a Hungarian architect of Jewish heritage, the most influential Hungarian synagogue architect in the first half of the 20th ...
(1860–1932), the prolific
Budapest
Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...
-based synagogue architect. Situated in a narrow lane, the building is a characteristic example of Baumhorn's style. A melange of Moorish, Byzantine and Art Nouveau elements, it faces the street with a twin-tower façade.
The sanctuary is a domed hall supported by four pillars that also support the women's gallery. After more than a decade of painstaking restoration by the municipality of Nitra, the building is now used as a center for cultural activities.
The women's gallery houses "The Fate of Slovak Jews" – Slovakia's national Holocaust memorial exhibition. The synagogue serves as a permanent exhibition space for graphic works by the Nitra-born Israeli artist
Shraga Weil.
See also
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History of the Jews in Slovakia
The history of the Jews in Slovakia goes back to the 11th century, when the first Jews settled in the area.
Early history
In the 14th century, about 800 Jews lived in Bratislava, the majority of them engaged in commerce and money lending. ...
References
External links
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Synagogues in Slovakia
Synagogues preserved as museums
Jewish Slovak history
Synagogues completed in 1911
20th-century architecture in Slovakia
1911 establishments in Slovakia
Neolog Judaism synagogues
Buildings and structures in Nitra
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