(JHE) — Two long-disused former synagogues in the Czech Republic are for sale.
One, built in 1825 but abandoned since the 1990s after being used as a cinema and church after WW2, is on the market for 2,990,000 Czech crowns (€121,000).
Located in Habry, a village of around 1,000 inhabitants in the country’s Vysocina highlands region, the synagogue is listed on the web site of the realtor Lucie Semerádová, representing the owner — the Prague Jewish community.
The synagogue was used for religious purposes until World War II, when the Jewish community was destroyed. After the war, it was used as a Czech Brethren Church. Then, in the 1970s, the building was converted into a wide-screen cinema.
It was restituted in 1994 to the ownership of the Prague Jewish community, whose web site says a complete reconstruction was planned, with a project for this drawn up in 1999. This was not implemented, however, and since then “no funds have been spent on the maintenance and repair of the synagogue.”
Matana, the company that manages the property owned by the Prague Jewish community and the Federation of Jewish Communities, put it up for rent in 2017, with an option for possible sale, saying it was suitable for either commercial purposes (such as company headquarters, shop, services, etc.) or non-commercial purposes (such as a museum, or library)
Watch the realtor’s video promo about the former synagogue.
The other former synagogue, also believed to date from the 19th century, is in the small town of Tučapy. It’s listed by the Maly Real Estate company on the bazos.cz web site, with an asking price of 1,690,000 Czech crowns (€68,500).
It was used as a synagogue only until World War I. Then it was acquired by the Sokol sports movement in the 1930s.
In the 1950s, it was rebuilt into a modern gym and was used as such until a primary school complex with its own gym was established in the town. Little if anything remains to identify it as a synagogue.
See the Habry listing and info on the realtor’s web site
See the Habry rental offer on the Matana web site
See the description of the Habry synagogue on the Prague Jewish community web site
1 comment on “Czech Republic: Two long-disused former synagogues for sale”
Europe is our grave yard, the buildings were a sign we were there but since Europe obliterated us the buildings mean nothing and we have moved on.. we survived, we are successful and Europe can go…..
Maybe one day you will look back and see what you lost. I see only the death of our cuultre.