We only occasionally report on updated web sites — but we would like to point out this one. The web site for the restoration of the synagogue in Bytča, Slovakia is now fully available in an English language version. (NOTE: As of 2020, the English web site was no longer online.)
We have been following the slow progress on this synagogue, which was built in 1886 and, although listed as a national cultural monument in 1990, has long languished in derelict condition, despite sporadic efforts at restoration. Among other things, renovation works were stalled by litigation over ownership of the site.
A civic action group, the Association for the Rescue of the Bytča Synagogue, has been overseeing the reconstruction, with the eventual aim of converting the building into a cultural center, to include a Jewish museum: there is no Jewish community in the town.
The English language web site includes all the information that is available on the Slovak site, including a history of the synagogue, reports on reconstruction work, photo galleries, and plans.
Click here for the Slovak language site
See page for synagogue on the Historic Synagogues of Europe web site