The New Synagogue (), sometimes referred to as the Neological Synagogue () or Neolog Synagogue (), is a former

Neolog Neologs (, "Neolog faction") are one of the two large communal organizations among Hungarian Jewry. Socially, the liberal and modernist Neologs had been more inclined toward integration into Hungarian society since the Era of Emancipation in th ...

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 in

Žilina Žilina (; ; ; ; Names of European cities in different languages: U-Z#Z, names in other languages) is a city in north-western Slovakia, around from the capital Bratislava, close to both the Czech and Polish borders. It is the List of cities ...

Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, 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 west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...

. Completed in 1931 to the designs of the German

Modernist Modernism was an early 20th-century movement in literature, visual arts, and music that emphasized experimentation, abstraction, and Subjectivity and objectivity (philosophy), subjective experience. Philosophy, politics, architecture, and soc ...

architect

Peter Behrens Peter Behrens (14 April 1868 – 27 February 1940) was a leading Germany, German architect, graphic and industrial designer, best known for his early pioneering AEG turbine factory, AEG Turbine Hall in Berlin in 1909. He had a long career, desi ...

, it was completed eight years before

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 ...

, which almost obliterated the Jewish population of Slovakia, and it has been called "the last Slovak synagogue". Having been used for other purposes after World War II, it was restored between 2011 and 2017 to become an

arts center An art centre or arts center is distinct from an art gallery or art museum. An arts centre is a functional community centre with a specific remit to encourage arts practice and to provide facilities such as theatre space, gallery space, venues fo ...

History

The town of Žilina had been resistant to

settlers and by the middle of the nineteenth century, only two Jewish families lived there. An early synagogue of was replaced by a new one in 1880. The Jewish community in Žilina continued to grow, reaching about 3,000 in the early 1930s. During the 1920s an international competition was launched for a modern synagogue for the Reform Judaism congregation; competitors included

Lipót Baumhorn Lipót Baumhorn (, , 28 December 1860, Kisbér – 8 July 1932, Kisbér) was a Hungarian people, Hungarian architect of Jewish heritage, the most influential Hungarian synagogue architect in the first half of the 20th century. He drew blueprints ...

and

Josef Hoffmann Josef Hoffmann (15 December 1870 – 7 May 1956) was an Austrians, Austrian-Sudeten Germans, Moravian architect and designer. He was among the founders of Vienna Secession and co-establisher of the Wiener Werkstätte. His most famous architect ...

. The competition was won by Behrens and the synagogue was constructed between 1928 and 1931. In 1934 Behrens joined the

Nazi Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party ( or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported the ideology of Nazism. Its precursor ...

and later worked on Hitler's plans for redesigning Berlin. After World War II, from which only 600 Jews returned to the city, the building was taken over by the town for cultural purposes, including an assembly hall for Žilina University and a cinema. Since 2012 the synagogue has been under restoration for use as an art gallery and cultural centre. From 2014, the work has carried out by the

NGO A non-governmental organization (NGO) is an independent, typically nonprofit organization that operates outside government control, though it may get a significant percentage of its funding from government or corporate sources. NGOs often focus ...

''Truc sphérique'', with the aid of an EEA grant from Norway, Liechtenstein and Iceland and with the support of the town of Žilina and the town's remaining Jewish community. Work included restoration of wall surfaces in the interior and the façade of the building. The synagogue building opened for events in August 2016 and the restoration was completed in July 2017.

Design

The synagogue was built to accommodate 450 men in the prayer hall with 350 women in the galleries. The hall features high, narrow windows. The dome over the hall has a diameter of and a height of . The low front entrance is accessed by a flight of steps from street level. The front

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 considerably altered in the period 1945-1980. The congregational hall retained its domed structure, but the women's galleries which lined the upper storey were removed. The 2017 restorations reinstated many of the original interior and design features.

Gallery

Synagogue roof zilina.jpg, Interior of the restored dome of the synagogue Synagogue Zilina 1931.jpg, The synagogue shortly after completion, from a postcard,

Notes

References

External links