Restoration work on the tiny wooden synagogue in the village of Wiśniowa, in southern Poland, has begun. The Wiśniowa municipality said in a Facebook post that the first steps had been taken in early August.
These included preparation of the surrounding site and fence, dismantling the roof and end boards, and fumigation to get rid of insects — a process entailing encasing the building in a tentlike cover and pumping in insecticide gas.
In 1993 the local historic preservation office included it in the register of monuments and some basic protective works were carried out. It is currently managed by the Wiśniowa municipality, and the building has been signposted as a former synagogue.
According to the municipality, once restored the synagogue will be used as a place commemorating World War II Home Army partisans, but it has not given further details.
The synagogue is a simple structure with a gable roof that looks like a house or small barn. It dates from the early 20th century and is one of the few wooden synagogues to have survived World War II. The interior was devastated, and until the 1980s the building was used as a furniture warehouse and later a fire station.
Only a few traces of wall paintings survive.
According to a web site devoted to the synagogue:
Bringing the building to a usable condition requires the complete replacement of floors, ceilings, roofing, window and door glazing, partial replacement of rafter framing elements and the structural beams of external walls, especially on the southern side, vertical and horizontal insulation as well as flashings.
It describes the building as:
It is a wooden building, standing on a stone foundation. The internal and external walls have a framework structure made of hewn beams and are covered with timber planking. The roof has a rafter-purlin structure, covered with ceramic tiles. The interior is divided into a square-shaped main prayer room from the south and a womens gallery from the north.
The restoration work is progressing thanks to a grant of 300,000 zlotys (€68,000) from the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage.
Because of its listing as a monument Małopolska Provincial Conservator of Monuments a year ago had imposed on the Wiśniowa municipality “the obligation to renovate the building by the end of 2020.” Otherwise, the FB post said, the municipality would have faced a fine of 50,000 zlotys (€11,300).
See municipality FB announcement
Read description of the synagogue on the municipal web site
See Facebook page about the synagogue and efforts to save it
Read our 2016 article about the synagogue