The Tempel Synagogue () is a

Reform Reform refers to the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc. The modern usage of the word emerged in the late 18th century and is believed to have originated from Christopher Wyvill's Association movement, which ...

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 24 Miodowa Street, in the historic

Kazimierz Kazimierz (; ; ) is a historical district of Kraków and Kraków Old Town, Poland. From its inception in the 14th century to the early 19th century, Kazimierz was an independent city, a royal city of the Crown of the Polish Kingdom, located sou ...

district of

Kraków , officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...

, in the

Lesser Poland Voivodeship Lesser Poland Voivodeship ( ) is a voivodeships of Poland, voivodeship in southern Poland. It has an area of , and a population of 3,404,863 (2019). Its capital and largest city is Kraków. The province's name recalls the traditional name of a h ...

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 Ignacy Hercok in the

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 ...

and ''

Rundbogenstil (round-arch style) is a 19th-century historic revival style of architecture popular in the German-speaking lands and the German diaspora. It combines elements of Byzantine, Romanesque, and Renaissance architecture with particular s ...

'' styles and completed in 1862, the synagogue is a major place of worship, and also a booming center of Jewish culture, which hosts numerous concerts and meetings, especially during the Kraków Jewish Culture Festival.

History

The Moorish Revival and ''Rundbogenstil'' styled-building was designed by Ignacy Hercok, and built in 1860–1862 along Miodowa Street. The temple, with its tall central section flanked by lower wings, is designed on the pattern of the

Leopoldstädter Tempel The Leopoldstädter Tempel, also known as the Israelitische Bethaus in der Wiener Vorstadt Leopoldstadt, (''lit.'' "Israelite prayer house in the Vienna suburb of Leopoldstadt") was a Jewish congregation and synagogue, located on Tempelgasse 5, ...

, in Vienna, Austria. At the time the synagogue was built, Kraków was part of 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 richly finished interior is adorned with dense patterns painted in many colors and copious amounts of gold leaf, but the patterns, with the exception of the exquisite Moorish design on the ceiling, are not stylistically Moorish. The arch over the

Aron Kodesh A Torah ark (also known as the ''hekhal'', , or ''aron qodesh'', ) is an ornamental chamber in the synagogue that houses the Torah scrolls. History The ark is also known as the ''ark of law'', or in Hebrew the ''Aron Kodesh'' () or ''aron ha-Kod ...

with its pattern of alternating tall and short houses is more in the style of Polish folk art than anything Islamic. The Aron Kodesh is covered by a gold-leaf dome that evokes the dome over the Sigismund Chapel in the nearby

Wawel Cathedral The Wawel Cathedral (), formally titled the Archcathedral Basilica of Stanislaus of Szczepanów, Saint Stanislaus and St. Wenceslas, Saint Wenceslaus, () is a Catholic cathedral situated on Wawel Hill in Kraków, Poland. Nearly 1000 years old, it ...

. The synagogue was desecrated during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

by the

German Nazi Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a totalitarian dictat ...

s, who used the building as ammunition storage area. After the war, it was used again for prayers. In 1947, a ''

mikvah A mikveh or mikvah (, ''mikva'ot'', ''mikvot'', or ( Ashkenazic) ''mikves'', lit., "a collection") is a bath used for ritual immersion in Judaism to achieve ritual purity. In Orthodox Judaism, these regulations are steadfastly adhered t ...

'' was built in the northern part of the synagogue. Regular prayers were held until 1985. A large inflow of financial contributions from private donors around the world allowed the synagogue to undergo a vast renovation from 1995 until 2000. It is still active today, although formal prayers are held only a few times a year.

Gallery

File:Tempel (Progressive) Synagogue, interior, 24 Miodowa Street, Kazimierz, Kraków, Poland.jpg, Interior of the synagogue File:Tempel (Progressive) Synagogue, Torah ark (Aron ha-Kodesh), 24 Miodowa Street, Kazimierz, Kraków, Poland.jpg, Torah ark (Aron ha-Kodesh) File:Tempel Synagogue in Kraków 2.jpg, Exterior File:01238Kraków.JPG,

Melaveh Malkah Melaveh Malkah (also, Melave Malka or Melava Malka) (, lit. "Escorting the Queen") is the name of a meal that, as per Halakha, is customarily held by Jews after the Sabbath (Shabbat), in other words, on Saturday evening. The intent of the meal is t ...

in Tempel Synagogue File:Acknowledgement Plaque in the Tempel Synagogue of Kraków.jpg, Acknowledgement plaque in the synagogue listing the names of the contributors, both individuals and organisations File:WWII Memorial Plaque in the Tempel Synagogue of Kraków.jpg, WWII memorial plaque in the synagogue File:Posters on the Gates of the Tempel Synagogue of Kraków.jpg, Posters of hostages on the gates of the synagogue

References

External links

www.JewishKrakow.net
- a guide to the Tempel Synagogue as well as Kazimierz in general, Kraków's Jewish quarter
The Jewish Community of Krakow
1862 establishments in the Austrian Empire 19th-century synagogues in Poland Holocaust locations in Poland Jewish organizations established in 1862 Moorish Revival architecture in Poland Moorish Revival synagogues Reform synagogues in Poland Rundbogenstil synagogues Synagogue buildings with domes Synagogues completed in 1862 Synagogues in Kraków {{Poland-synagogue-stub

History

Gallery

See also

References

External links