The artistic interior restoration being carried out in the grand Cetate (Citadel) synagogue in Timisoara is progressing and is expected to be completed by the end of September.
JHE’s Ruth Ellen Gruber, who has been traveling to Jewish heritage sites in Romania, visited the synagogue this week with Jewish community president Luciana Friedmann to observe the state of the work.
Experts from Bucharest are carrying out a painstaking restoration of the stenciled painted decoration that covers the walls and ceiling of the sanctuary.
Once this is complete, the synagogue still will require installation of a heating system. The grand organ also needs full refurbishment to make it operative.
Designed by the Viennese architect Carl Schumann, the Citadel Synagogue was built between 1863 – 1865 in an eclectic style, with Moorish-style features, two side towers and an imposing facade that resembles a fortress.
As we noted earlier, it was rededicated in 2022 after partial renovation and returned to the Jewish community for use as a house of worship nearly 40 years after it closed for religious use.
The brick facade is dominated by a large rose window, and the two side turrets are topped by domes. The parts of the facade under the turrets are horizontally striped; the central part boasts an intricate geometric decorative motif in brick. A dome surmounts the sanctuary, and an organ was installed in 1866.
Used by the Neolog community, the synagogue was inaugurated on Sept. 19, 1865 and then ceremonially re-inaugurated on May 7, 1872 when the Emperor Franz Joseph visited.
In 2023, the city of Timisoara — which was Europe’s “Capital of Culture” in 2023 — allocated around €120,000 toward the safeguarding and/or restoration of the Cetate synagogue and the Fabric synagogue.
The grant of 600,000 lei — around €121,000 — came within a total grant package of 2.85 million lei (around €576,000) toward restoration work on historic religious buildings in the city — Orthodox Christian, Greek Catholic, and Roman Catholic churches as well as the Fabric and Cetate synagogues.
Funding for the restoration also comes from the state and from the Federation of Jewish Communities in Romania.
According to media reports, work on the Fabric synagogue, designed by Lipot Baumhorn and built between 1897 and 1899 — which has long stood derelict and in deteriorating condition — should start next year. The reports said the municipality took over administration the Fabric synagogue for 49 year in October 2023 under an agreement with the Federation of Jewish Communities.
