Work has begun on the structural repair of two more synagogues in the Czech Republic — that in Batelov and that in Neveklov, both built in the 18th century.
The work follows the recent successful restoration of the synagogue in Zatec, spearheaded by its private owner, as well as the synagogue Budyne nad Ohri and the ceremonial hall of the Jewish cemetery in Breclav, carried out by the municipalities. All three sites now serve cultural purposes.
The synagogue in Batelov is owned by the Federation of Jewish Communities in the Czech Republic, and the synagogue in Neveklov belongs to the Jewish Community in Prague but is on loan to the Federation until 2040.
Therefore, JHE friend Jaroslav Klenovsky, who works for the Federation and the Jewish Community of Brno, overseeing the documentation, restoration, and preservation of Jewish heritage sites, tells us “all the investment matters surrounding the repairs are being handled by the [Federation’s] Matana (Hebrew for “gift”) company, while financial and moral support is provided by the Holocaust Victims Foundation and the Zecher Foundation for the Restoration of Jewish Monuments.”
The synagogue in Batelov, a small town on the border of Moravia and Bohemia, is a compact late Baroque building dating from 1794. Its exterior is marked by distinctive red ribbing.
Klenovsky writes that the small building has undergone numerous changes of use and alterations throughout its history. “Most recently it served as a cider house and clubhouse for local gardeners — until they found that the financial requirements for the necessary repairs were beyond their means and therefore abandoned the building. The Federation of Jewish Communities in the Czech Republic accepted the offer of a free takeover in 2023 with the aim of saving this monument for the future and returning it to its authentic form.”
Klenovsky writes that the construction and restoration work and the subsequent furnishing of the interior is expected to require about three years of work, noting that “We are not pressed for time and want to achieve a quality result.”
This year, repairs to the dilapidated roof and roofing will be carried out, at a cost of almost €40,000, using subsidies from the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic and the Jihlava Regional Authority.
In addition, all the necessary additional work will be carried out: construction-historical, restoration and archaeological surveys, followed by an architectural study. Once this has been discussed and approved, a project will be drawn up to obtain a building permit, a suitable construction company will be selected and the necessary funding will be sought.
The synagogue in Neveklov is in Central Bohemia. It is a modest Baroque building constructed on older foundations in 1730, and later modified in an eclectic way in the early 20th century. After World War II it served as a warehouse and was returned to the Jewish community in Prague in 1999.
Since then, Klenovsky writes, it has been virtually abandoned, although it has been used several times for one-off cultural events thanks to the activity of the local civic association. In 2023, a memorial plaque to local Holocaust victims was installed on the street near the entrance to the synagogue.
In 2008-9, necessary repairs were made to the roof trusses and roofing, and subsequently project documentation was drawn up for the overall construction and restoration.
In 2015, the Federation of Jewish Communities tried to include the restoration of this synagogue in a second phase of its Revitalization of Jewish Heritage (10 Stars 2) project in 2015 . “These efforts proved futile, Klenovsky writes, “as the entire project had to be cancelled. A subsequent application for funding from the so-called Norway Grants in 2020 was also unsuccessful.”
The full restoration of the building, he writes, is expected to be carried out in annual stages over at a minumum five years, with a total cost of €640,000. This year, the first stage of work will entail the repair of the damaged ceiling and original painting, at a cost of 24,000 euro.
1 comment on “Czech Republic: Restoration work starts at two more Czech synagogues, in Batelov and Neveklov, both originally built in the 18th century”
Could I ask for guidance about the Jewish community in Tropau (Opava). Abram Trepel died 1906 there and is buried in the Jewish cemetery. I researched the records and realise it was committed to the hospital there and died of syphillis. What I do not understand is why my family which was Minsk/Odesa based sent him so far afield possibly the treatment and the air unless, as has been suggested that originated from that part of the Austrian Hungarian Empire.
I live in the Trinec/Cieszyn area. I wish you strength with your task