Synagogue in Książ Wielki

The synagogue in Książ Wielki stands abandoned and is a ruin. It was built in 1846, and since the Second World War the building has been successively deteriorating and changing its use. It can be viewed only from the outside.

History of the building

In 1915, during the First World War, the synagogue was damaged but quickly repaired. In 1935 it burned down and was thoroughly renovated. During the Second World War the Germans completely devastated the interior. After the war it housed a warehouse of the Municipal Cooperative “Samopomoc Chłopska”. In the second half of 2016 the roof of the synagogue collapsed and exposed the interior.

Architecture

The brick building was erected on a rectangular plan. The main prayer hall lies in the eastern part, and it is entered through a vestibule with a women's gallery on the upper floor. The hall is lit by ten arch-topped windows, four each on the southern and northern walls and two on the eastern one. Between the last two a niche of the aron ha-kodesz has survived.

Going down Stroma Street you reach the Jewish cemetery in Książ Wielki on Szewska Street.

Practical information

• The building is in a state of ruin after the roof collapse, and entering is dangerous.
• The condition of the building is worth checking before your visit, because the sources describe it as of 2016.