The Hungarian Photography Museum in Kecskemet, south of Budapest, is hosting the exhibit “Used Stones,” by the young Hungarian photographer Bernadett Anna Alpern. Her photographs document synagogues in several countries that have been transformed into other use, ranging from a sports hall to a church to a mosque to a department store.
You can see a selection of photographs from the exhibition on Alpern’s web site.
Fittingly for this exhibition — the museum is housed in one of the town’s former synagogues, an orthodox synagogue built in the early 20th century, which still retains some of its interior decoration, including ceiling paintings.
Kecskemet’s former grand Neolog synagogue, a Moorish-Romantic building with a soaring central tower topped by a lotus bud-shaped dome, is a landmark on the main square. It was designed by architect Janos Zitterbarth and built in 1864-1871. Lipot Baumhorn renovated it (and added the lotus dome) after it was damaged in an earthquake in 1911. The synagogue now houses offices, conference rooms and a sculpture gallery.