The recently restored, twin-towered synagogue in Krnov, in the Czech Republic on the border with Poland, has suffered damage from the devastating floods that have been ravaging parts of central Europe.
Jewish organizations posted photos showing the flooded sanctuary; so far we don’t have the full details of the damage.
It was the second time that floods hit the building, which today forms part of the 10 Stars Network of Revitalized Jewish Heritage in the Czech Republic. The synagogue (then used as an archive) suffered extensive damage during the devastating floods of 1997.
The Federation of Jewish Communities in the Czech Republic has set up a special dedicated bank account to support clean-up and restoration at the Krnov synagogue and potentially at other Jewish heritage sites hit by the floods.
(As of September 18, the Federation said it knew of no other serious damage of Jewish heritage sites in the Czech Republic.)
The Federation states that for international payments donors can send to the account: IBAN: CZ62 0800 0000 0000 1119 7662.American donors should email the Federation at sekretariat@fzo.cz to arrange for donations to be made through the American Friends of Czech Jewry Foundation, which is registered as a 501 © (3) nonprofit. (NOTE: at this time, online payment cannot be made through the foundation, only by check or wire transfer.)
The Krnov synagogue was designed by the architect Ernest Latzel and inaugurated on June 5, 1872. It is one of only three remaining synagogue buildings in CZ’s Moravian-Silesian Region (the others are in Nový Jičín and Český Těšín).
The synagogue’s exterior is in a Romanesque Revival style, while the interior is imbued with Moorish elements and has a beautiful coffered ceiling. An organ from the local Rieger Brothers firm was installed in the synagogue in 1898.
The synagogue functioned for worship util 1938, when the Germans occupied Krnov. It escaped destruction on Kristallnacht, but during WW2 it was used as the town market hall. After the war, the synagogue was used as a warehouse and then from 1960 housed the district archives until 1997, when it suffered damage from the flood. (The building had been restituted to the ownership of the Olomouc Jewish community in 1994.)
Civic activists managed to carry out some repair work and in 1999 founded the Krnov Synagogue Association, which aimed to preserve the building as a cultural, religious, and educational venue, and which runs the synagogue and programs its activities today.
The Federation of Jewish Communities took over ownership in 2004, and further repairs took place in the next few years.
After 2009, the synagogue was included in the major EU-funded 10 Stars Revitalization of Jewish Historic Buildings project, which involved the restoration of synagogues in 10 towns all over the Czech Republic (plus associated Jewish buildings in five of the towns).
This saw the full restoration of the Krnov synagogue and installation of an exhibition on Jewish industrialists, with the completed project inaugurated in June 2014.
The synagogue in the 10 Stars Network