The magnificent domed synagogue in Trenčín has been reconsecrated after a restoration that brought back the original colors and decorative design of the spectacular interior. The building will be used for religious as well as cultural, educational, and social purposes and has a permanent exhibition on local Jewish history installed in the sanctuary.
Religious and civic leaders took part in the dedication ceremony Sunday, during which three rabbis ceremoniously brought Torahs to the premises and installed them in the ark.
“Today, after more than half a century, we see a beautiful interior, to which its spiritual power and original charm have returned. Thanks to this renewed space and the existence of a living religious community, we were able to proceed to this solemn act. The consecrated synagogue once again becomes a living space for dialogue, understanding and tolerance,” President of the Jewish Religious Community of Trenčín President Oľga Hodálová, said on the synagogue web site.
The more than €2 million restoration radically changed the way the spectacular interior of the building had looked for decades. The walls and dome are now painted in vivid shades of blue, with colourful painted decoration around the ark and on the vaulting.
The restoration is not complete, however, and work will continue in 2026 on doors, stairways, the upper gallery, and windows. The exterior facades also still need refurbishment.
The synagogue, listed as a national cultural monument, was built in 1913 to replace a wooden synagogue from the 18th century. Designed by the architect Richard Scheibner and his collaborator Hugo Pál, it mixes Byzantine and Art Nouveau styles with a modern reinforced concrete dome construction and is an example of early modernist trends that aimed to reduce decoration while preserving monumental classical forms.
The synagogue was severely damaged during World War II and further damaged under the postwar communist regime, which used it as a clothing warehouse. It was reconstructed in the 1970s and 1980s for use as an arts center, but in a way that destroyed much of the interior decoration.
The dedication ceremony Sunday was followed on Monday by the conference “The Trenčín Synagogue: Space for Dialogue and Understanding.”
The restoration was funded by EEA and Norway grants amounting to €1,738,102, plus State budget of the Slovak Republic funding of €306,724 and co-financing of the Jewish Religious Community of Trenčín of €252,731.
One more photo of the Torahs being brought:
Read our post from last year about the restoration
Watch a video of the Northwood Synagogue choir singing Ma Tovu from above the ark.