The Dolní Kounice 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 ...

, located in

Dolní Kounice Dolní Kounice (; ) is a town in Brno-Country District in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 2,600 inhabitants. Geography Dolní Kounice is located about southwest of Brno. It lies in the Bobrava Highlands. The highest ...

in the

South Moravian Region The South Moravian Region (; , ; ), or just South Moravia, is an Regions of the Czech Republic, administrative unit () of the Czech Republic, located in the south-western part of its historical region of Moravia. The region's capital is Brno, th ...

of the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

. The building was completed in 1655 and was used as a synagogue by 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 ...

congregation until 1939. The building has been used as a

Jewish museum A Jewish museum is a museum which focuses upon Jews and may refer seek to explore and share the Jewish experience in a given area. Notable Jewish museums include: Albania * Solomon Museum, Berat Australia * Jewish Museum of Australia, Melbourn ...

since 1994.

History

First traces of

settlement in Dolní Kounice are from half of 15th century. The first written mention of a synagogue here comes from 1581. The old synagogue was located on eastern part of the village and was destroyed by Swedish troops during the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...

in 1645. A new one has been built in the middle of the new ghetto in 1652–1655. It was built in the

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

style and is one of the oldest synagogues in

Moravia Moravia ( ; ) is a historical region in the eastern Czech Republic, roughly encompassing its territory within the Danube River's drainage basin. It is one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia. The medieval and early ...

. The building has rectangular ground plan and two floors. In the middle of the 19th century, new tract was added and used to extends tribune for women. In the early 1940s, Nazis closed down the religious services and moved the decorations to the

Jewish Museum in Prague The Jewish Museum in Prague () is a museum of Jewish heritage in the Czech Republic and one of the most visited museums in Prague. Its collection of Judaica is one of the largest in the world, about 40,000 objects, 100,000 books, and a copious a ...

. After the war the building was used as storehouse. In 1991 it was returned, as a part of restitutions, to the Jewish community in

Brno Brno ( , ; ) is a Statutory city (Czech Republic), city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava (river), Svitava and Svratka (river), Svratka rivers, Brno has about 403,000 inhabitants, making ...

. In 1994 the former synagogue was reconstructed with the support of the

World Monuments Fund World Monuments Fund (WMF) is a private, international, non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of historic architecture and cultural heritage sites around the world through fieldwork, advocacy, grantmaking, education, and training ...

and commenced operation as a museum. The synagogue hosts small collection of Jewish historical artefacts and art exhibitions.

Gallery

DK-synagoga-starsi.zenska.tribuna.JPG DK-synagoga-predek.salu.JPG DK-synagoga-nova.zenska.tribuna.JPG

References

External links

* 17th-century synagogues in Europe Ashkenazi Jewish culture in the Czech Republic Ashkenazi synagogues Baroque architecture in the Czech Republic Baroque synagogues in the Czech Republic

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 ...

Buildings and structures in the South Moravian Region Former synagogues in the Czech Republic Jewish museums in the Czech Republic Museums in the South Moravian Region Orthodox Judaism in the Czech Republic Orthodox synagogues in Europe Synagogues preserved as museums {{CzechRepublic-synagogue-stub

History

Gallery

See also

References

Further reading

External links