In December, we carried Virtual Shtetl’s report on the good chance that the vacant synagogue in Cieszanów, southeast Poland, will be restored by the city for use as a cultural center. Built in 1889 and used as a grains storehouse after World War II, the synagogue has stood empty since the 1990s and until recently was in ruinous condition in danger of collapse.
Virtual Shtetl now follows up with a report on the “step by step” efforts of the city, which seem to be bearing fruit:
The Mayor of Cieszanów, Zdzisław Zadworny, has been following a step-by-step strategy, which has already brought about some effects. Civil servants have systematically raised funds for successive stages of the restoration works. In 2013, the ceiling was restored and the entire building was covered with a new roof, which was made possible thanks to the support from the Monuments’ Restorer in the Podkarpackie Province. Cieszanów authorities have recently obtained another donation. A public bidding for the restoration of the ground floor and for the installation of anti-mould isolation in external and internal walls was announced yesterday [May 7].