Restoration of the historic wooden synagogue in Pakruojis, Lithuania, is going forward with a more than €568,000 grant from the Lichtenstein/Iceland/Norway European Economic Area (EEA). A conference Sept. 29 in Pakruojis highlighted the renovation, which should be completed in 2017.
The building will become a children’s library. Total cost of the project will be € 751,352, according to the EEA. According to the EEA, the restoration will recreate the murals that once adorned the inner walls of the building.
See historic pictures of the murals here.
Some 200 or more elaborate wooden synagogues were found in eastern Europe before World War II. Almost all were destroyed. Lithuania is one of the few countries that still has wooden synagogues — about 14 altogether. All of them, however, are fairly simple buildings that probably survived destruction because of their relatively nondescript appearance.
(In 2010, before the application for the EEA grant had been submitted, JHE reported that the Lithuanian Jewish Community had secured 140.000 litas (€40,500) from the Lithuanian national budget and 30.000 litas (€8,700) from the Pakruojis district municipality for restoration work. Moreover, a long term lease contract with Pakruojis district municipality was signed in 2010.)
The Pakruojis synagogue, dating from 1801, is the oldest and most valuable of the wooden synagogues in Lithuania, and pre-WW2 photographs document the interior — with carved bimah and wall paintings. It suffered severe damage in a fire in 2009. In summer 2009, a correspondent sent the following picture of fire damage, to be posted on the Jewish Heritage Travel web site.
The EEA grants web page describes the restoration project the aim of the project as:
to preserve and adapt the wooden Pakruojis Synagogue as cultural heritage for the local community and to reuse it by establishing a Section of Children’s Literature of Pakruojis District Municipality Juozas Paukstelis Public Library. The project helps to address social problems by providing leisure and literature for young people. The restoration contributes to job creation: people will be employed for the restoration and two people will be employed after expansion of the library. After restoration of the building, Jewish culture and history will be preserved for future generations and murals will be recreated. The reconstructed synagogue and exposition of Pakruojis Jewish culture and history will be opened for visitors. Increased number of visitors will be a positive factor for the economy and could increase incomes of small and middle-sized companies working in the field of trading and services. Pakruojis synagogue is listed in the Development Study of Pakruojis Cultural Heritage as a priority object for reconstruction of cultural heritage.
See details of the EEA renovation project
See Jewish Heritage Travel 2009 report, with pictures, on the fire that damaged the synagogue